GIFT  OF 


THE  MIND   CURE 


BY 


CHRISTIAN  D.  LARSON 


THE  NEW  LITERATURE  PUBLISHING  COMPANY 

LOS  ANGELES,    CALIFORNIA 


Copyright  iqn 

BY 
CHRISTIAN  D.  LARSON 


BY  THE  SAME  AUTHOR: 

HOW  TO  STAY  YOUNC. 
HOW  TO  STAY  WELL. 
BUSINESS  PSYCHOLOGY. 
HOW  THE  MIND  WORKS. 
THE  IDEAL  MADE  REAL. 

WHAT  IS  TRUTH. 
THE  PATHWAY  OF  ROSES. 

YOUR  FORCES  AND  HOW  TO  USE 
THEM. 

POISE  AND  POWER. 

THINKING  FOR  RESULTS. 

MASTERY  OF  FATE. 

THE  HIDDEN  SECRET. 

THE  GREAT  WITHIN. 

MASTERY  OF  SELF. 

ON  THE  HEIGHTS. 

JUST  BE  CLAD. 
PERFECT  HEALTH. 

SCIENTIFIC  TRAINING  OF 
CHILDREN. 

HOW  GREAT  MEN  SUCCEED. 

261290 


The  Cure  of  Nervousness 


T  IS  a  well-known  fact  that  a  con- 
siderable majority  of  the  people  in 
this  country  are  addicted  more  or 
less  to  nervousness  in  one  or  more 
of  its  many  forms ;  and  as  nervous- 
ness is  the  direct  cause  of  all  mental  ills,  and  the 
indirect  cause  of  a  great  many  physical  ills, 
organic  as  well  as  functional,  there  are  few 
things  that  would  be  more  important  than  that 
of  finding  a  method  through  which  health  for  the 
nerves  could  be  secured.  How  to  cure  this 
malady  has  long  been  a  problem.  Medicine  as 
a  rule  avails  but  little,  and  the  various  forms  of 
other  therapeutic  systems  reach  but  a  limited 
number.  It  is  therefore  that  the  discovery  of 
a  remedy  that  could  reach  all  cases,  or  nearly  all 
cases,  would  easily  be  considered  one  of  the 
most  remarkable  discoveries  of  the  age. 

We  may  safely  state  that  v/hen  people  learn 
to  keep  the  nervous  system  in  perfect  order  there 
will  be  very  few  cases  of  insanity,  if  any,  and 
physical  diseases  will  be  reduced  at  least  one- 
half.  In  addition  to  this,  the  power  and  capac- 
ity of  mind  will  be  increased  to  a  very  great 


THE  MIND    CURE 


degree.  The  majority  of  the  fine  minds  in  the 
world  fail  to  do  all  they  are  capable  of  doing, 
because  their  talents  are  interfered  with  by  nerv- 
ous troubles  of  some  kind,  and  these  troubles  not 
only  tend  to  reduce  the  amount  of  mental  energy, 
but  also  confuse  the  intellect  and  almost  invaria- 
bly misdirect  the  imagination.  There  is  scarce- 
ly a  mind  living  of  exceptional  ability  or  genius 
that  is  not  addicted  to  nervousness  of  some  form, 
and  that  any  mind  can  do  its  best  under  such 
conditions  is  impossible. 

The  fact  is,  if  nervousness  were  completely 
removed  from  the  race  more  than  half  of  the 
physical  ills,  and  nearly  all  the  mental  ills, 
would  be  removed.  The  strength  and  endurance 
of  the  body  would  be  increased  remarkably, 
and  the  capacity  of  the  mind  would  in  most 
instances  be  practically  doubled.  That  a  per- 
fect remedy  for  nervousness  would  therefore 
prove  a  great  boon,  to  say  the  least,  is  evident; 
and  a  remedy  has  been  found  that  fulfills  all  the 
requirtments,  because  from  its  very  nature  it 
simply  cannot  fail.  This  remedy  will  give  health 
to  the  nerves  in  every  case  where  it  is  used,  and 
it  is  so  simple  that  all  who  will  apply  it  can  do 
so  successfully. 

That  this  remedy  will  remove  nervousness  in 
every  instance  may  seem  impossible,  but  when 
we  examine  the  nature  of  the  remedy  we  find 


THE  MIND  CURE 


that  its  never-failing  effectiveness  lies  in  its  power 
to  remove  the  remote  cause  of  what  may  be 
termed  the  immediate  cause  of  this  ailment. 

That  condition  of  the  system  that  we  call 
nervousness  comes  from  discord  in  the  nerve 
fluid,  or  what  may  be  called  confused  vibrations 
in  the  electro-magnetic  energies  of  the  body. 
This  is  the  immediate  cause;  but  back  of  this 
cause  there  is  a  remote  cause ;  that  is,  that  condi- 
tion that  originally  produces  the  confused  vibra- 
tions in  those  energies. 

The  nerve  fluid  we  speak  of  may  be  termed 
human  electricity,  as  its  nature  and  actions  cor- 
respond exactly  with  electrical  currents,  though, 
of  course,  it  is  much  finer  in  quality  than  ordinary 
electricity.  The  human  brain  may  accordingly 
be  termed  a  dynamo,  because  those  fine  currents 
are  generated  there;  and  the  nerves  may  be 
termed  the  wires  that  carry  this  fluid  or  electricity 
to  every  part  of  the  body. 

The  functions  of  this  nerve  fluid  are  many. 
Every  thought,  state,  condition  or  action  pro- 
duced in  the  mind  is  carried  all  through  the  body, 
over  these  nerves  or  wires,  by  the  force  of  this 
fluid,  and  in  return  everything  that  is  taking 
place  throughout  the  system  is  conveyed  to  the 
brain  by  the  same  process.  The  nervous  system 
is  therefore  a  human  telegraph  system  through 
which  the  mind  is  constantly  kept  informed  con- 


THE  MIND  CURE 


earning  the  events  of  its  own  world,  and  con- 
stantly giving  directions  with  regard  to  what  is 
to  be  done  in  every  part  of  its  world;  and  we 
can  readily  understand  how  false  news  or  infor- 
mation can  be  transmitted,  and  how  urgent  news 
can  be  delayed  in  its  passage,  should  these  finer 
electrical  currents  be  disturbed. 

When  a  person  is  suffering  from  nervousness 
he  is  frequently  deluded  concerning  the  condi- 
tions of  his  system,  the  reason  being  that  he  is 
getting  false  news  because  the  telegraph  system 
is  not  in  perfect  order.  In  like  manner,  such  a 
person  may  fail  to  get  the  exact  facts  concerning 
his  conditions.  There  may  be  conditions  brew- 
ing in  his  system  of  which  he  is  not  aware, 
because  the  news  is  lost  on  the  way. 

The  same  state  of  affairs,  however,  is  fre- 
quently brought  about  by  drugs.  When  you 
take  drugs  to  stop  pain,  you  do  not  remove  the 
pain;  you  simply  deaden  the  nerves  so  that  the 
sensation  or  news  of  the  pain  cannot  be  carried 
to  the  brain.  Occasionally  such  a  process  may 
be  permissible,  but  if  we  interfere  too  much  with 
the  news-carrying  function  of  the  nervous  system 
we  will  cripple  it  to  such  an  extent  that  most  of 
the  sensations  received  will  be  false  or  magnified. 
When  people  imagine  that  they  have  ills  that  do 
not  exist  in  their  systems  a  crippled  or  perverted 


THE  MIND  CURE 


nervous  system  is  generally  the  cause.  They  are 
getting  false  news  about  their  own  conditions,  and 
they  think  it  is  true  because  it  seems  so  real.  Not 
everything  is  true,  however,  that  seems  real. 
The  fact  is  that  the  more  disturbance  and  per- 
version there  is  in  the  nervous  system,  the  more 
real  will  also  its  false  impressions  appear  to  be; 
and  the  reason  is  that  a  disturbed  nervous  system 
is  abnormally  sensitive. 


THE  MIND  CURE 


NOTHER  function  of  the  nervous 
system  is  to  transmit  creative  en- 
ergy to  every  part  of  the  body. 
Every  cell  in  the  system  is  con- 
structed or  repaired  by  creative 
energy,  and  this  energy  is  conveyed  by  the  nerve 
that  enters  the  locality  of  that  cell;  consequently 
when  the  nervous  system  is  out  of  order  the 
process  of  repair,  or  cell  construction,  will  be 
retarded  in  many  places.  When  this  process  is 
interfered  with,  or  the  normal  activities  of  the 
process  are  disturbed,  the  system  will  not  only 
be  left  in  bad  repair,  but  false  growths  may  be 
produced.  When  the  creative  forces  are  dis- 
turbed or  misdirected  in  any  part  of  the  system 
they  cannot  continue  in  normal  cell  construction, 
but  will  in  many  instances  begin  to  produce  false 
cell  construction.  In  this  manner  tumors,  can- 
cers, goiters,  cataracts  and  all  sorts  of  unnatural 
growths  may  originate. 

And  in  this  connection  we  should  remember 
that  practically  all  abnormal  growths  in  the 
human  system  can  be  traced  back  to  nervous 
conditions  of  some  form.  Perfect  health  for  the 
nerves,  therefore,  if  maintained  all  through  life, 
would  absolutely  prevent  all  such  unnatural 

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THE  MIND  CURE 


growths  in  the  human  system.  When  the  cre- 
ative energies  of  the  system  continue  in  their 
normal  activities  no  unnatural  growth  can  possi- 
bly be  formed,  and  to  keep  those  energies  in  their 
normal  state  of  action  the  nervous  system  must 
be  in  order;  that  is,  every  nerve  must  be  in  good 
health. 

To  go  into  details  and  outline  fully  the  vari- 
ous effects  that  follow  the  actions  of  the  nerve 
fluid  would  lead  us  into  every  phase  of  physio- 
logical psychology,  and  volumes  would  be  re- 
quired. It  is  not  our  purpose,  however,  to  pre- 
sent a  full  treatise  on  this  vast  subject  in  this 
connection,  but  simply  to  present  in  the  briefest 
manner  possible  the  practical  application  of  an 
effective  remedy  for  the  nerves.  The  various 
effects  of  the  nerve  fluid  in  all  its  functions  will 
be  right  when  the  cause  is  right;  and  the  cause 
is  right  when  the  vibrations  of  the  electricity  of 
the  body  are  normal.  To  produce  and  maintain 
such  normal  vibrations  must  therefore  be  our 
purpose. 

It  has  been  stated  that  confusion  among  the 
vibrations  of  the  nerve  forces  is  the  immediate 
cause  of  nervousness,  and  also  that  this  force  is 
generated  in  the  brain;  therefore,  to  find  the 
cause  of  this  confusion  we  must  go  to  the  brain, 
or  rather  to  the  mind.  When  we  analyze  the 
mind  we  find  that  every  mental  attitude  produces 

11 


THE  MIND  CURE 


a  corresponding  action  in  the  brain  and  modifies 
to  a  degree  the  forces  that  are  generated  in  the 
brain.  As  the  brain  is  the  dynamo  generating 
nerve  forces,  or  the  electrical  forces  of  the  nerv- 
ous system,  it  is  evident  that  a  disturbed  mental 
state  producing  a  corresponding  action  in  the 
brain  will  confuse  the  vibrations  of  the  forces 
generated  in  the  brain  during  that  particular 
state  of  mind. 

To  remove  every  confused  attitude  or  dis- 
turbed state  from  the  mind  would,  therefore, 
seem  to  be  the  perfect  remedy;  but  this  would 
constitute  complete  prevention,  and  not  neces- 
sarily a  remedy  for  effective  use  when  actual 
nervousness  was  present.  To  prevent  all  nerv- 
ousness one  must  become  master  over  his  thoughts 
and  feelings  and  learn  to  create  only  those  men- 
tal states  that  have  a  harmonious  and  wholesome 
effect  upon  the  body;  but  this  requires  a  thor- 
ough understanding  of  metaphysics,  and  also 
considerable  time.  In  fact,  it  would  necessarily 
be  a  steady  growth.  Besides,  many  of  the  dis- 
turbing mental  states  are  in  the  subconscious,  and 
cannot  be  removed  until  the  entire  mentality  is 
renewed.  To  renew  and  perfect  the  subcon- 
scious as  well  as  the  conscious  mind,  should  be 
the  constant  purpose  of  every  person;  but  while 
he  is  changing  his  mind,  his  thought  and  his  life, 
he  must  have  some  method  to  emancipate  him- 

12 


THE  MIND  CURE 


self  from  those  conditions,  the  adverse  causes  of 
which  have  not  been  removed. 

Though  we  may  be  working  for  complete 
prevention,  still  while  this  work  remains  incom- 
plete we  need  quick  and  ready  remedies  to 
remove  the  results  of  our  mistakes,  past  or  pres- 
ent. If  we  continue  to  work  for  complete  pre- 
vention we  will  soon  arrive  at  a  place  where  our 
mistakes  will  be  reduced  to  a  minimum ;  but  until 
we  reach  that  state  we  must  have  remedies  or 
methods  that  will  remove  the  mistakes  at  once, 
so  that  no  other  ill  effect  may  follow. 

Then,  again,  there  are  thousands  that  have 
not  the  power  to  remain  undisturbed  in  the  midst 
of  the  world's  confusion.  They  are  constantly 
meeting  discord,  and  need  help — present  help — 
to  prevent  such  discord  from  producing  detri- 
mental effects.  We  therefore  need  effective 
remedies  for  the  present,  as  well  as  a  system  of 
thinking  and  living  through  which  we  may  grad- 
ually provide  complete  prevention. 


13 


THE  MIND  CURE 


HEN  we  analyze  the  various  con- 
ditions that  disturb  the  nerves,  we 
find  that  a  disturbed  state  of  mind 
is  the  remote  cause,  therefore 
peaceful  states  of  mind  must  be 
the  remedy.  Disturbed  states  of  mind  will  dis- 
turb the  electric  energies  generated  in  the  brain, 
and  as  these  energies  follow  the  nerves  all 
through  the  system,  the  entire  system  will  be  in 
discord  accordingly.  On  the  other  hand,  peace- 
ful states  of  mind  will  cause  the  electric  energies 
generated  in  the  brain  to  become  calm,  serene 
and  harmonious,  and  as  those  energies  are,  so 
will  be  the  entire  nervous  system.  When  we 
create  only  peaceful  states  of  mind  there  will  be 
no  discord  whatever  in  the  system,  and  when 
discord  disappears  nervousness  will  also  disap- 
pear. 

When  disturbed  mental  states  have  already 
been  produced,  they  can  be  counteracted  before 
they  enter  the  nervous  system,  and  their  unde- 
sirable effects  avoided.  The  process  is  simple, 
and  may  be  applied  effectually  by  any  one.  In 
the  first  place,  life  and  thought  should  be  made 
as  calm,  serene  and  peaceful  as  possible;  and, 
secondly,  every  cause  of  disturbance  or  nervous- 

14 


THE  MIND  CURE 


ness,  either  acute  or  chronic,  conscious  or  sub- 
conscious, should  be  removed  by  cultivating 
serenity  and  peace.  While  the  nerve  force  is 
still  in  the  brain  you  can  modify  its  vibrations 
by  changing  the  actions  in  the  mind,  but  after 
this  force  has  entered  the  spinal  cord  it  will 
continue  in  its  original  vibrations  until  it  has 
permeated  the  system.  This  force,  therefore, 
must  be  acted  upon  before  it  enters  the  spinal 
cord,  and  since  it  responds  readily  to  every  action 
of  mind,  a  complete  change  can  be  made  if  pro- 
duced in  the  proper  place. 

To  reach  the  energies  of  the  brain  directly,  the 
mind  should  act  upon  the  brain  center,  a  point 
exactly  midway  between  the  opening  of  the  ears. 
Draw  an  imaginary  line  from  ear  to  ear  through 
your  brain,  and  divide  that  line  in  the  center. 
At  this  point  you  will  find  the  region  of  the 
brain  center.  In  the  region  of  the  brain  center 
the  energy  or  nerve  force  that  has  been  generated 
in  the  brain  is  transferred  to  the  spinal  cord, 
from  whence  it  goes  to  every  part  of  the  system. 
To  change  the  vibrations  of  this  force,  therefore, 
before  it  enters  the  spinal  cord,  the  mind  must 
act  upon  the  brain  center,  and  must  produce 
through  that  action  the  very  condition  that  is 
desired  in  the  nervous  system  as  a  whole.  That 
state  of  mind  that  is  impressed  upon  the  brain 
center  will  cause  all  the  nerve  forces  coming 

15 


THE  MIND  CURE 


from  the  brain  to  be  identical  with  the  mental 
state  itself,  both  in  nature  and  action,  therefore 
to  impress  upon  the  brain  center  a  mental  state 
of  perfect  harmony,  calmness  and  poise,  will 
cause  the  nerve  force  as  it  proceeds  from  the 
brain  to  become  calm,  harmonious  and  poised, 
and  will  accordingly  convey  calmness,  harmony 
and  poise  to  every  part  of  the  system. 

When  thest  calm  nerve  currents  begin  to  pass 
through  the  system,  every  form  of  nervousness 
will  begin  to  disappear,  and  relief  will  be  felt  at 
once.  All  weak  actions  of  the  heart  will  also 
cease  and  normal  action  be  secured,  because  all 
heart  troubles,  practically,  come  from  disturb- 
ances in  the  nervous  system.  To  concentrate 
upon  the  brain  center  in  the  attitude  of  peace 
will  cause  the  heart  to  become  normal  in  its 
actions  in  a  few  moments,  and  if  this  method  is 
employed  several  times  every  day  for  five  or  ten 
minutes,  what  is  usually  spoken  of  as  heart  dis- 
ease will  disappear  without  giving  the  least 
thought  or  attention  to  the  heart  itself. 

To  apply  this  method  perfectly,  turn  your 
attention  upon  the  brain  center  and  concentrate 
gently  upon  this  point  while  you  are  thinking 
calmly  but  deeply  of  poise,  peace,  serenity  and 
harmony.  Try  to  feel  at  the  time  that  everything 
at  the  brain  center  is  still,  perfectly  still ;  that  all 
is  quiet,  easy  and  at  rest.  And  here  we  should 

16 


THE  MIND  CURE 


remember  that  while  this  method  is  being  em- 
ployed we  should  not  think  of  mind  or  body  in 
the  least,  but  all  thought  should  be  directed  upon 
that  peaceful  state  that  we  imagine  is  being  pro- 
duced at  the  brain  center.  If  you  can  focus 
your  whole  attention  upon  the  brain  center  at  the 
time  and  feel  that  all  the  energies  of  mind  and 
brain  are  moving  gently  toward  the  brain  center, 
you  are  going  to  realize  perfect  harmony  through- 
out your  system,  even  in  a  few  seconds.  This 
peaceful  state  of  mind  will  soon  penetrate  the 
entire  region  of  the  brain  center,  and  all  the 
energies  that  are  passing  from  the  brain  to  the 
spinal  cord,  and  thence  to  the  nervous  system, 
will  change  and  become  calm  and  serene,  as  that 
condition  is  at  the  brain  center  through  which 
those  energies  always  pass.  And  as  these  are 
the  only  energies  that  act  directly  through  the 
nervous  system,  all  nervousness  must  disappear 
when  those  energies  themselves  become  serene. 

When  this  method  is  being  applied  it  is  best 
to  be  comfortably  seated,  or  better  still,  to  lie 
down  with  the  mind  and  body  relaxed,  eyes 
closed,  and  all  attention  withdrawn  from  outer 
things.  Then  have  but  one  purpose  in  view — 
to  penetrate  the  brain  center  with  a  mental  life 
of  absolute  peace  and  calm.  The  more  quietly 
and  the  more  easily  you  go  about  this  practice, 
the  better  you  will  succeed ;  and  to  try  to  draw 

17 


THE  MIND  CURE 


gently  the  finer  mental  forces  toward  the  brain 
center  as  you  think  of  the  finer  forces  of  your  , 
mind,  will  aid  remarkably  in  producing  imme- 
diate results.  It  is  well  to  breathe  deeply,  but 
gently,  during  the  exercise,  which  may  be  con- 
tinued for  five  or  ten  minutes,  and  repeated  sev- 
eral times  every  day. 

To  combine  physical  breathing  with  this  exer- 
cise, in  any  particular  manner,  will  be  found  very 
helpful,  and  to  this  end  proceed  as  follows: 
While  you  inhale  physically,  try  to  draw  the 
finer  forces  of  mind  and  brain  toward  the  brain 
center,  and  while  you  exhale  physically,  try  to 
feel  that  those  finer  forces  are  moving  with  calm- 
ness and  peace  down  through  your  body  toward 
the  feet.  To  combine  physical  breathing  with 
what  might  be  called  inhalation  and  exhalation 
of  the  finer  forces  of  the  mind  will,  when  carried 
out  effectually,  be  found  to  be  a  method  of  incal- 
culable value  in  all  conditions  of  nervousness  or 
mental  disturbance.  Every  one,  therefore,  will 
find  it  profitable  to  practice  this  method  until  it 
can  be  carried  out  to  perfection.  When  results 
begin  to  appear,  an  inner  comfort  will  be  felt 
that  is  delightful,  and  every  nerve  in  the  system 
will  be  quiet. 

In  this  connection  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
the  quiet  nerve  is  the  only  nerve  that  is  doing  its 
work  properly.  Whenever  you  feel  excited,  agi- 

18 


THE  MIND  CURE 


tated  or  disturbed,  apply  this  method  and  imme- 
diately harmony  will  be  restored,  thus  preventing 
both  ills  and  mistakes.  It  will  compose  the 
system,  restore  the  heart  to  its  normal  action, 
and  give  the  creative  energies  that  perfect  poise 
that  is  so  necessary  to  the  keeping  of  the  system 
in  purity  and  repair.  This  method  will  also 
remove  weariness  and  the  tired  feeling,  because 
both  mind  and  body  are  invariably  re-charged 
with  energy  when  they  are  placed  in  perfect 
poise.  When  this  method  is  employed  daily  and 
properly  nervousness  in  every  form  will  disap- 
pear, perfect  health  for  the  nerves  will  be 
secured,  and  the  system  will  be  placed  in  a 
higher  degree  of  harmony — a  state  that  is  mjst 
valuable  in  the  promotion  of  physical  or  mental 
development. 

To  try  to  feel  the  finer  essence  or  life  of  mind 
while  concentrating  in  poise  upon  the  brain  cen- 
ter is  very  important,  because  when  the  finer  life 
is  felt  the  subconscious  will  be  impressed;  and 
when  perfect  peace  is  conveyed  to  the  subcon- 
scious the  good  work  is  done.  When  the  sub- 
conscious becomes  calm  and  serene  in  all  its 
actions  every  atom  in  the  system  will  work  in 
perfect  harmony,  and  every  action,  no  matter 
how  rapid  or  how  strong,  will  be  absolutely  calm 
and  serene, 


19 


THE  MIND  CURE 


N  important  essential  in  the  cure  of 
nervousness  is  to  remove  the  ten- 
dency to  think  or  act  unconscious- 
ly. Unconscious  action — that  is, 
doing  one  thing  while  thinking 
about  something  else — will  produce  a  divided 
attention,  and  a  divided  attention  leads  to  a 
decrease  in  the  power  of  self-control.  So  long 
as  the  attitude  of  self-possession  and  self-control 
is  perfect,  nervousness  will  be  impossible,  but  the 
moment  the  mind  begins  to  lose  its  hold  upon  the 
various  functions  of  the  system,  nervousness  will 
begin. 

What  is  called  nervousness  is  nothing  but  con- 
fused action  among  the  nerve  energies,  and  as 
the  mind  is  the  original  cause  of  every  action 
that  takes  place  in  the  human  system,  confused 
action  anywhere  in  the  system  must  come  orig- 
inally from  confused  mental  action.  The  funda- 
mental cause  of  confused  mental  action  is 
divided  attention,  and  divided  attention  comes 
from  having  several  things  on  the  mind  at  once. 
One  thing  at  a  time  should  be  the  law.  You 
may  have  a  thousand  duties  to  perform  every 
day,  but  give  direct  attention  to  only  one  at  a 
time.  Train  yourself  to  do  this,  and  you  will 

20 


THE  MIND  CURE 


be  absolutely  free  from  nervousness  all  your  life. 

A  breakdown  in  the  nervous  system  does  not 
come  from  overwork,  but  from  the  scattering  of 
your  forces,  and  it  is  only  through  the  dividing 
of  your  attention  that  your  forces  can  be  scat- 
tered. The  dividing  of  attention,  however,  may 
be  produced  in  a  number  of  ways.  To  try  to  do 
too  many  things  at  once  is  one  cause;  living  a 
complex  life  is  another  cause;  though  the  prin- 
cipal cause  is  usually  found  in  the  reckless  use 
of  the  imagination. 

The  majority  do  not  know  how  to  apply  the 
imagination  constructively,  and  therefore  its 
actions  are,  as  a  rule,  helter-skelter.  The  result 
is  confused  mental  action,  to  be  followed  later 
by  confused  actions  among  the  nerve  forces. 
The  same  is  true  in  all  forms  of  life  and  thought 
where  imagination  is  carried  off,  so  to  speak,  into 
all  sorts  of  abnormal  states  through  excitement 
or  various  forms  of  mental  intoxication.  Mental 
confusion  is  the  result,  and  when  the  forces  of 
the  mind  are  going  helter-skelter  the  forces  of 
the  nerves  will  do  the  same,  because  the  nervous 
system  is  directly  connected  with  the  brain  in 
general,  as  with  every  individual  action  that 
takes  place  in  the  brain. 

When  the  energy  of  the  system  runs  low 
every  function  of  body  or  mind,  including  the 
imagination,  is  crippled  to  a  degree  in  its  effort 

21 


THE  MIND  CURE 


to  continue  normal  actions.  The  result  is  ab- 
normal or  confused  action,  which  may  be  fol- 
lowed by  sickness  of  some  kind,  or  by  a  nervous 
breakdown;  but  the  original  cause  of  a  lack  of 
energy  in  the  system  is  not  always  physical. 
Physical  dissipation,  burning  the  candle  at  both 
ends,  will  reduce  the  energy  of  the  body;  and 
there  is  also  such  a  thing  as  mental  dissipation, 
some  of  the  chief  elements  of  which  are  anger, 
worry,  excitement,  mental  depression,  despond- 
ency, discouragement,  reckless  thinking  ana 
reckless  imagination.  Energy  may  therefore  be 
wasted,  both  physically  and  mentally,  but  every 
action  of  waste  comes  originally  from  the  mind, 
because  the  body  can  do  nothing  unless  the 
mind  originates  the  action. 

To  remove  the  cause  of  nervousness,  there  are 
two  factors  to  be  considered.  First,  the  vital 
energy  of  the  system  must  be  kept  full  and 
strong  at  all  times.  When  vitality  is  insufficient, 
normal  action  becomes  impossible.  To  cease 
normal  action  is  to  begin  abnormal  action. 
Abnormal  action  leads  to  confused  action,  and 
confused  action  leads  to  nervousness.  Second, 
mental  disorder  in  all  its  forms  must  be  removed 
completely;  and  this  is  accomplished  by  remov- 
ing the  habit  of  dividing  attention.  In  brief,  to 
remove  the  cause  of  nervousness,  train  yourself 
to  give  your  whole  attention  now  to  whatever 

22 


THE  MIND  CURE 


you  may  be  thinking  of  or  doing  now,  and  so 
think  and  live  that  your  system  will  be  brimful  of 
energy  at  all  times.  When  you  are  constantly 
full  of  vital  energy,  and  are  constantly  using 
your  energy  in  the  actions  of  harmony,  poise  and 
self-possession,  you  will  never  be  nervous. 
Abundance  of  power  in  all  your  actions,  and 
perfect  poise  in  all  your  actions — these  are  the 
two  secrets. 


23 


THE  MIND  CURE 


O  secure  abundance  of  power,  you 
need  not  generate  more  than  you 
are  generating  now.  All  that  is 
necessary  is  to  prevent  what  you 
are  generating  from  being  wasted. 
In  brief,  learn  to  use  all  your  present  energy  so 
that  all  waste  may  be  avoided  completely.  The 
power  that  is  wasted  is  lost,  but  the  power  that 
is  used  produces  increase.  The  power  we  use 
today  will  reappear  in  the  system  tomorrow, 
because  everything  that  is  properly  used  is  like 
a  seed  sown  in  rich  soil;  it  will  reproduce  itself, 
and  will  not  only  reappear  with  the  original 
amount,  but  with  more. 

The  first  essential  in  the  proper  use  of  the 
power  we  possess  is  to  have  some  definite  purpose 
in  view  for  every  thought  and  action,  and  to  give 
that  purpose  our  undivided  attention.  When 
we  think,  we  should  think  with  a  purpose,  and 
should  think  of  only  one  thing  at  a  time.  In 
that  way  all  the  power  of  our  thought  is  put  to 
work,  and  none  of  it  is  wasted.  In  this  connec- 
tion it  is  well  to  remember,  and  to  repeat  again, 
that  weariness  comes  from  the  waste  of  power; 
never  from  power  that  is  put  to  work.  Power 
that  is  put  to  work  reproduces  itself,  therefore 

24 


THE  MIND  CURE 


no  loss  of  power  can  follow ;  and  it  is  only  when 
power  is  lost  that  weariness  can  be  felt  in  the 
system. 

When  you  work,  do  not  think  of  the  next 
step  or  try  to  plan  for  the  next  step  while  the 
work  of  the  first  is  being  finished.  Take  special 
moments  for  laying  new  plans.  In  this  way  you 
will  not  only  work  out  the  best  plans,  but  you 
will  avoid  dividing  your  attention  or  confusing 
your  mind.  {  Do  not  let  your  head  run  faster 
than  your  feet;  and  do  not  live  mentally  in  the 
future  while  you  are  working  in  the  present. 
Where  the  body  lives,  the  mind  should  live  also, 
and  the  energies  of  both  should  work  together 
in  building  up  the  life  of  the  present  moment. 
When  you  read,  do  not  try  to  read  the  second 
paragraph  before  you  are  through  with  the  first, 
and  do  not  skim  over  an  article  with  a  view  of 
getting  the  substance  out  of  it  in  one-tenth  of  the 
time  it  takes  to  read  it.  The  habit  of  skimming 
over  things  is  one  of  the  worst  mental  habits  in 
the  world,  and  should  be  eliminated  completely. 
We  may  think  we  gain  time  by  skimming  over 
things,  but  we  lose  energy  and  power,  as  well  as 
mental  brilliancy,  and  in  the  end  it  is  all  loss  and 
no  gain. 

In  your  living,  avoid  the  same  mistake.  Do 
not  try  to  get  all  there  is  in  life  by  hurrying 
through  life.  The  majority,  however,  are  ad- 

25 


THE  MIND  CURE 


dieted  to  this  habit,  but  it  leads  directly  to  nerv- 
ousness, and  is  the  direct  cause  of  more  than 
ninety  per  cent  of  the  nervous  breakdowns  that 
are  produced.  In  the  meantime,  this  same  habit 
brings  much  destruction,  depression  and  unhap- 
piness.  Learn  to  live  in  the  present.  Plan  for 
the  future  during  special  moments  selected  for 
that  purpose,  but  refuse  absolutely  to  live  in  the 
future.  Refuse  to  do  in  your  mind  today  what 
you  expect  to  do  in  the  reality  tomorrow.  Thou- 
sands have  this  habit.  In  consequence  their 
minds  are  nearly  always  confused,  while  they 
scatter  their  forces  continually.  If  you  are  going 
to  take  a  journey  tomorrow,  make  your  plans 
today,  but  do  not  take  that  journey  a  score  of 
times  in  your  mind  today;  or,  if  you  are  going 
to  undertake  something  special  tomorrow,  get 
good  and  ready  today,  but  do  not  mentally  pass 
through  the  details  of  that  work  today. 

Get  ready  the  bricks  for  the  building  of 
tomorrow,  but  do  not  lay  the  bricks  in  your  mind 
today.  Never  do  with  your  mind  today  what 
you  are  to  do  with  your  hands  tomorrow.  Do 
not  live  over  in  your  mind  in  the  present  the 
experiences  you  passed  through  in  the  past,  or 
the  experience  you  expect  to  pass  through  in  the 
future.  Such  a  practice  will  scatter  your  forces 
and  divide  your  attention.  The  result  will  be 
confused  mental  action,  to  be  followed  by  con- 

26 


THE  MIND  CURE 


fused  nervous  action.  This  practice  will  also 
decrease  your  power  of  concentration ;  and  with- 
out concentration  we  can  accomplish  nothing. 

The  peaceful  contemplation,  however,  of  past 
joys  or  expected  future  joys,  will  produce  noth- 
ing but  good  effects,  provided  we  do  nothing  else 
while  we  indulge  in  such  contemplation.  In  fact, 
to  give  special  moments  to  such  contemplation 
every  day  will  prove  beneficial.  It  matters  not 
what  we  may  be  thinking  about  during  our  spare 
moments — whether  it  be  the  past,  the  present,  or 
the  future — so  the  thought  is  pleasant  and  atten- 
tion is  undivided. 

To  prevent  completely,  or  permanently  cure, 
nervousness,  therefore,  we  should  always  bear 
these  two  things  in  mind:  To  avoid  divided 
attention  and  to  avoid  the  energy  of  the  system 
running  low.  In  other  words,  so  live  and  think 
that  your  system  will  be  brimful  of  energy  at  all 
times,  and  give  your  whole  attention  now  to 
whatever  you  may  be  thinking  of  or  doing  now. 


27 


THE  MIND  CURE 


HE  following  exercises  or  methods 
may  be  employed  most  profitably, 
both  in  the  prevention  and  in  the 
cure  of  nervousness;  and  where 
faithful  application  is  continued, 
the  most  perfect  results  will  positively  be  se- 
cured : 

Place  yourself  in  a  calm  attitude  for  a  few 
minutes  several  times  every  day.  See  how  quiet 
you  can  be  in  mind  and  body  during  those 
moments,  and  see  how  fully  you  can  realize  the 
deep  stillness  of  your  entire  nature.  By  making 
it  a  practice  to  be  deeply  quiet  for  a  few  min- 
utes several  times  a  day,  you  can  check  com- 
pletely any  tendency  toward  nervousness.  Be- 
sides, those  moments  will  serve  to  recuperate 
your  system,  and  you  can  do  more  and  better 
work  during  any  given  period  of  time.  During 
those  quiet  moments,  relax  mind  and  body  com- 
pletely. Let  go  of  every  muscle  and  every 
thought.  Just  be  still,  and  think  only  of  how 
delightful  it  feels  to  be  perfectly  still. 

Aim  to  increase  and  deepen  your  conscious- 
ness of  harmony.  Think  of  the  real  meaning  of 
harmony  at  frequent  intervals,  and  try  to 
inwardly  feel  that  real  harmony.  In  other 

28 


THE  MIND  CURE 


words,  make  it  a  practice  to  turn  your  attention 
upon  the  idea  of  harmony  itself,  with  a  view  of 
getting  your  system  into  the  very  life  or  soul  of 
perfect  harmony.  You  will  soon  begin  to  feel 
more  harmonious,  because  we  always  tend  to 
develop  in  ourselves  every  state  or  condition  to 
which  we  give  constant  thought  and  attention. 

Mentally  see  yourself  calm.  Whenever  you 
think  of  yourself,  think  of  yourself  as  being 
calm,  masterful  and  self-possessed.  Every  men- 
tal picture  that  you  may  form  of  yourself  should 
appear  in  the  attitude  of  calmness,  and  when- 
ever you  think  of  yourself  as  being  in  any  posi- 
tion in  which  you  expect  to  be  placed,  picture 
yourself  as  being  calm  and  poised  while  in  that 
position.  You  thus  produce  a  tendency  toward 
calmness,  and  you  are  daily  becoming  more  and 
more  serene  and  self-possessed  until  you  place 
yourself  in  that  masterful  attitude  that  is  both 
deeply  peaceful  and  immensely  strong. 

Whenever  you  feel  deeply,  proceed  at  once 
to  feel  peaceful.  You  thus  impress  peace,  har- 
mony and  calmness  upon  the  subconscious  mind; 
and  the  more  you  impress  peace  upon  the  sub- 
conscious the  more  peaceful  you  will  feel 
throughout  your  interior  nature.  The  under- 
currents of  your  life  will  become  harmonious  and 
serene  in  their  actions.  You  will  feel  peaceful 
and  calm  on  the  inside,  in  the  depths  of  your 

29 


THE  MIND  CURE 


real  life  and  thought;  and  it  is  the  man  who 
feels  calm  and  serene  in  the  depths  of  his  inte- 
rior nature  who  also  feels  the  greater  power  of 
his  interior  nature.  Such  a  man  is  strong  and 
masterful.  Such  a  man  has  real  will  power. 
Such  a  man  has  full  possession  of  himself — all 
that  is  in  himself ;  and  he  has  not  only  gained  the 
power  to  be  well,  but  the  power  to  do  things 
worth  while. 

Always  remember  the  great  law:  The  deeper 
your  consciousness  of  peace  the  greater  your 
possession  of  poiver. 

Refuse  to  be  sensitive.  Never  say  that  you 
are  sensitive.  Never  think  that  you  are  sensi- 
tive. When  you  are  on  the  verge  of  feeling 
hurt,  say  to  yourself  that  you  can  stand  any- 
thing, and  resolve  to  make  good  in  that  respect. 
Refuse  to  be  offended  at  anything.  Refuse  to 
stoop  to  the  petty  position  of  being  insulted,  and 
refuse  to  accept  any  form  of  indignity  that  may 
be  intended  for  you.  Have  too  much  respect 
for  your  nervous  system  to  feel  badly  about  any- 
thing that  may  be  said  or  done,  and  have  too 
much  good  sense  to  waste  energy  brooding  over 
troubles  when  you  know  that  that  same  energy, 
if  put  to  good  use,  could  put  all  your  troubles  to 
flight. 

Never  dwell  mentally  on  anything  that  is 
unpleasant.  To  do  so  is  to  rob  your  nervous 

30 


THE  MIND  CURE. 


system  of  its  very  life.  To  brood  over  misfor- 
tune, trouble  or  loss  is  to  steal  energy  and  life 
from  the  nerves  and  organs  of  your  body  for  no 
other  purpose  than  to  keep  alive  the  ugly  and 
distressing  memories  that  those  misfortunes  have 
impressed  upon  your  mind.  When  you  do  this, 
you  are  simply  starving  your  nervous  system  in 
order  that  you  may  perpetuate  the  existence  of 
mental  monsters.  The  result  will  be  nervous- 
ness, then  nervous  breakdowns,  and  in  many 
instances  the  loss  of  mind  or  life.  But  all  of 
this  can  easily  be  prevented.  Refuse  absolutely 
to  remember  the  unpleasantness  of  the  past  or 
dwell  on  the  dark  side  of  anything  that  may 
exist  in  the  present.  Turn  your  attention  at 
once  to  the  richer  and  greater  possibilities  that 
every  experience  may  contain,  and  enter  posi- 
tively into  the  very  spirit  of  those  possibilities. 
You  will  soon  realize  that  your  gain  is  greater 
than  your  loss,  and  that  you  have  the  power  in 
the  coming  days  to  multiply  this  gain  any  num- 
ber of  times. 

Never  think  of  nerves.  Never  say  that  you 
are  nervous,  and  never  give  conscious  thought 
to  any  condition  that  may  exist  anywhere  in  your 
system.  When  you  feel  that  something  is  wrong 
proceed  to  make  it  right,  and  the  less  you  think 
of  the  wrong,  or  the  organ  in  which  the  wrong 
may  exist,  the  better.  Think  of  your  entire  body 

31 


THE  MIND  CURE 


as  being  wholesome  all  the  way  through,  and 
live  constantly  in  the  life,  the  health  and  the 
strength  of  that  thought.  When  you  wish  to 
change  physical  conditions,  do  not  act  mentally 
upon  the  physical  body,  and  do  not  concentrate 
attention  upon  physical  organs.  The  course  to 
pursue  is  to  produce  the  desired  cause  in  the 
subconscious  mind,  and  the  desired  effect  will 
shortly  appear  in  the  physical  personality. 

Do  not  permit  for  a  moment  any  form  of  the 
high-strung  attitude  of  mind.  If  you  are 
addicted  to  this  habit  or  tendency,  cultivate 
relaxed  calmness  by  frequently  letting  your 
whole  system  go  into  the  feeling  of  deep  calm- 
ness. To  accomplish  this,  try  to  picture  the 
inner  world  of  deep  calmness  in  which  you  live, 
and  move,  and  have  your  being.  Then  simply 
let  yourself  go  into  the  serene  life  and  deeper 
soul  calmness  of  this  world.  Also  employ  the 
special  method  given  in  the  first  part  of  this 
lesson  whenever  your  nerves  are  on  the  verge  of 
being  strung  up.  That  method  will  invariably 
produce  relaxation,  and  besides,  is  quieting, 
soothing  and  recuperative  to  an  exceptional 
degree. 

Cultivate  poise,  wholesome  mental  states,  and 
be  deeply  joyous  at  all  times;  but  let  your  joy 
be  of  that  nature  that  tends  to  produce  a  peace- 
ful contentment.  Avoid  joyous  attitudes  that 

32 


THE  MIND  CURE 


tend  to  excite  the  nerves,  or  that  may  produce  an 
overwrought  condition  of  mind.  It  is  the  deep, 
calm  happiness,  the  happiness  that  becomes 
deeper  and  sweeter,  as  well  as  more  peaceful, 
the  longer  it  is  enjoyed,  that  we  should  seek 
under  every  circumstance.  This  form  of  happi- 
ness cure  should  be  taken  every  hour.  Then  be 
at  peace  with  all  things.  Take  plenty  of  sleep, 
and  live  in  faith  that  all  things  are  working 
together  for  greater  and  greater  good. 


33 


Good  Health  for  the  Mind 


O  secure  and  maintain  perfect 
health  and  wholeness  of  mind, 
these  important  facts  should  be 
carefully  considered: 

1 .  In  the  prevention  and  cure 
of  ailments  that  are  almost  wholly  mental  in 
their  nature,  there  are  two  tendencies  in  partic- 
ular that  must  be  avoided,  and  these  are  the 
tendency  to  deplete  the  energies  of  the  mind 
through  the  wrong  use  of  mental  action,  and  the 
tendency  to  intensify,  under  certain  strained  cir- 
cumstances, the  actions  of  those  energies. 

2.  When  the  life  and  the  energy  of  the  mind 
is  weakened  to  a  point  where  there  is  not  enough 
power  to  carry  on  normal  thinking,  the  mind 
ceases  to  a  degree  to  function  according  to  its 
true  nature,  consciousness  becomes  so  dull  that 
no  experience  is  correctly  interpreted,  and  those 
mental  conceptions  that  are  formed  at  the  time 
are  mostly  illusions.  It  requires  energy  to  think 
and  know,  just  the  same  as  it  requires  energy  to 
walk  or  move  physically.  When  the  body  loses 
too  much  energy  it  becomes  too  weak  to  walk; 
and  when  the  mind  loses  too  much  energy  it 

34 


THE  MIND  CURE 


becomes  too  weak  to  think.  But  inability  to 
walk  is  not  always  produced  by  a  lack  of  phys- 
ical energy;  nor  is  inability  to  think  clearly 
always  produced  by  mental  weakness. 

3.  The  mind  may  be   full   of  power,   but 
when  that  power  is  abnormally  intensified  we 
find   that   harmonious    and    consecutive   mental 
actions  are  interfered  with,   and  clear  thinking 
becomes  impossible.     Such  a  mind  usually  thinks 
a  good  deal,  and  is  constantly  in  a  worked-up 
condition;  but  the  thinking  will  be  disconnected, 
and  false  beliefs  and  ideas,  and  even  hallucina- 
tions of  every  description,  may  result. 

4.  A  close  study  of  those  ills  that  are  men- 
tal in  their  nature  proves  clearly  that  when  over- 
worked conditions  and  worked-up  conditions  are 
avoided  the  mind  will  never  become  abnormal, 
unbalanced  or  disturbed.      Overworked  condi- 
tions,  however,   do  not  come  solely   from  too 
much  mental  exertion;  but  may  also  come  from 
worry,  depression,  grief,  fear,  anxiety,  and  the 
like.     These  states  of  mind  deplete  the  mental 
forces  by  using  up  energy  in  destructive  thinking, 
while  ordinary  mental  work  consumes  energy  in 
performing  what  may  be  useful.     Occasionally 
a  person  may  work  the  mind  so  hard  that  too 
much  energy  is  consumed,  and  we  may  have  in 
such  cases  mental  troubles  coming  directly  from 
overwork.     But  such  cases  are  very  rare,  as  by 

35 


THE  MIND  CURE 


far  the  greater  number  comes  from  worry  and 
anxiety.  An  hour's  worry  will  use  up  more 
mental  energy  than  ten  hours  of  steady  brain 
work;  and  the  same  is  true  of  fear,  grief,  depres- 
sion and  similar  wrong  mental  states.  It  is  usu- 
ally the  worry  that  goes  with  the  work  that 
makes  a  person  feel  exhausted  after  the  work; 
and  there  are  few  who  do  not  worry  about  some- 
thing while  at  work;  but  this  is  a  habit  that  not 
only  can  be  but  should  be  overcome  completely. 

5.  When  a  person  studies  he  imagines  that 
hard  study  is  wearing  on  the  mind,  and  accord- 
ingly the  mind  is  used  up  more  or  less  during 
such  work ;  but  he  is  mistaken  in  his  idea.    Study 
will  use  up  a  certain  amount  of  mental  energy, 
but  not  enough,  even  after  many  hours  of  con- 
tinued study,  to  produce  mental  weariness.     It 
is  the  anxiety  that  most  students  combine  with 
their  study  that  wears  on  the  mind.   When  study 
is  taken  up  for  a  certain  purpose,  the  student  is 
usually  over-anxious  to  fulfill  that  purpose,  and 
frequently  there  is  fear  lest  failure  should  come, 
or  depression  on  account  of  mistakes  that  already 
have  been  made.     All  of  these  misuses  of  the 
mind  exhaust  the  mind  so  that  the  study  cannot 
be  carried  out  with  satisfaction,  while  the  study 
itself  hardly  ever  exhausts  or  wearies  the  mind. 

6.  To  prevent  the  mind  from  becoming  weak 
we  should  establish  faith  in  the  place  of  worry, 

36 


THE  MIND  CURE 


fear  and  anxiety.  That  mind  that  dwells,  thinks 
and  works  in  faith  will  always  be  strong.  This 
is  one  of  those  great  truths  that  we  should  always 
remember;  and  to  live  in  that  truth  is  to  provide 
the  mind  with  a  protection  that  has  no  equal. 

7.  Worked-up  conditions  of  mind  come  prin- 
cipally from  anger,  excitement,  intense  action  of 
mind  or  body,  or  from  nervous  rush ;  though  any 
forceful   mental   action  or   any   strained   action 
will  produce  the  same  condition.     In  this  condi- 
tion the  mind  is  strung  up,  so  to  speak,   and 
throws  its  energies  out  of  their  normal  spheres. 
They  are  therefore  misdirected  and  finally  lost, 
but  on  their  way  to  complete  loss  they  usually 
produce  all  sorts  of  illusions,  and  this  accounts 
for  the  fact  that  a  mind  that  is  out  of  harmony 
with  itself  usually  produces  illusions  along  sev- 
eral lines  without  being  conscious  of  doing  so. 

8.  When  the  mind  dwells  too  much  on  one 
isolated  subject,  or  is  forced  too  long  in  one 
direction,  a  similar  condition  is  produced,  and 
mental  equilibrium  is  lost.     In  this  condition  one 
part  of  the  mind  will  be  overworked,  while  the 
other   parts   will    become   practically   dormant. 
The  overworked  part,  therefore,  will  be  unable 
to  think  clearly  on  account  of  its  exhausted  or 
intensified   condition,    while   the   dormant   parts 
will  be  unable  to  think  clearly  on  account  of 
their  state  of  inactivity.     The  result  will  be  that 

37 


THE  MIND  CURE 


the  various  states  of  mind  produced  at  the  time 
will  be  wrong,  and  wrong  states  invariably  lead 
to  ill  health,  both  of  mind  and  body. 

9.  To  avoid  the  tendency  to  apply  the  mind 
too  much  in  any  one  direction,  every  one  should 
make  it  a  habit  to  engage  in  what  may  be  called 
mental  variety;  that  is,  there  should  be  change 
of  mental  action,  mental  work,  and  interest  at 
frequent  intervals.  This  practice  is  most  impor- 
tant when  the  system  is  more  or  less  in  nervous 
conditions.  During  such  conditions  sensitiveness 
is  very  keen,  and  every  deeply-formed  impression 
will  tend  to  carry  the  mind  away  along  any  line 
that  may  be  indicated  by  that  impression.  At 
such  times,  therefore,  the  tendency  to  cause  the 
mind  to  act  in  one  direction  only  is  very  marked, 
and  should  be  avoided  completely  at  the  very 
outset.  Whenever  a  tendency  is  felt  to  move  in 
any  one  mental  direction  exclusively,  attention 
should  be  turned  at  once  upon  something  else,  so 
as  to  call  into  action  the  other  parts  of  the  mind, 
as  the  mind  will  usually  return  to  wholesome 
action  when  every  part  of  it  becomes  active.  It 
is  a  splendid  practice,  in  this  connection,  to  study 
all  kinds  of  subjects  that  have  worth,  in  addition 
to  what  may  engage  one's  attention  in  his  voca- 
tion, and  also  to  exercise  all  the  functions  of 
body,  mind  and  soul  as  completely  and  harmon- 
iously as  possible. 

38 


THE  MIND  CURE 


10.  All  forms  of  fanaticism  and  prolonged 
actions  of  enthusiasm  must  be  avoided  com- 
pletely, and  no  part  of  the  mind  should  be  per- 
mitted to  run  in  a  groove.  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  whenever  anyone  begins  to  become  a 
fanatic,  his  mind  becomes  more  or  less  unbal- 
anced, and  he  becomes  unable  to  see  more  than 
one  side  of  any  subject  that  he  may  consider. 
When  this  condition  is  prolonged  it  leads  to 
intense  mental  action  along  a  single  line,  which 
will  finally  produce  the  conditions  just  men- 
tioned. A  fanatical  mind  is  never  a  healthy 
mind,  and  is  wrong  on  nearly  all  subjects,  as  well 
as  being  unwholesome  in  most  of  its  usual  mental 
states.  As  soon  as  a  tendency  to  isolate  action 
of  mind  is  discovered  in  any  part  of  thought  or 
thinking,  a  new  experience  should  be  sought  at 
once;  and  when  we  find  ourselves  completely 
absorbed  in  certain  places,  persons  or  things,  we 
should  immediately  proceed  to  look  for  superior 
qualities  in  other  things. 

1  1 .  To  prevent  worked-up  or  over-wrought 
conditions  of  mind  it  is  necessary  to  cultivate  per- 
fect poise.  All,  therefore,  who  have  a  tendency 
to  use  the  mind  in  such  ways  should  proceed  at 
once  to  acquire  poise.  In  a  few  minutes,  or  even 
in  much  less  time,  the  normal  action  of  mind  and 
body  will  be  restored  perfectly,  and  a  great  deal 
of  energy  will  be  added  both  to  physical  and 
mental  action. 


THE  MIND  CURE 


1 2.  The  mind  must  never  permit  itself  to  go 
down  into  any  of  the  depressed  states  of  feeling, 
as  such  a  tendency  invariably  leads  to  mental  ill 
health.  To  overcome  this  tendency,  a  sunny 
disposition  should  be  cultivated,  and  the  habit 
of  fixing  attention  on  the  larger,  the  better,  the 
superior,  and  the  ideal  in  all  things  should  be 
made  a  permanent  factor  in  all  lines  of  thinking. 
The  fact  that  cheerfulness  and  ascending  atti- 
tudes of  mind  add  a  great  deal  of  power  both  to 
mind  and  body,  is  important;  and  it  is  well  to 
remember  in  this  connection  that  a  cheerful, 
optimistic,  ascending  state  of  mind  can  be  made 
so  strong  that  no  experience  we  may  encounter 
can  possibly  make  us  depressed  or  discouraged. 
In  connection  with  this  phase  of  the  study  we 
shall  find  it  profitable  to  refer  to  what  was  stated 
on  mental  tendencies  in  a  previous  lesson. 

1  3.  The  importance  of  avoiding  the  down- 
ward tendency  of  the  mind  will  be  realized 
when  we  understand  that  all  depressing  condi- 
tions invariably  take  the  mind  down  nearer  to 
that  point  where  clear  thinking  becomes  impos- 
sible; and,  conversely,  that  all  ascending  or 
elevating  attitudes  of  mind  invariably  cause  the 
mind  to  act  in  those  higher  and  clearer  realms  of 
thinking  where  all  thinking  functions,  so  to  speak, 
in  a  world  of  mental  light.  In  other  words,  the 
higher  the  mind  ascends  in  conscious  action  the 

40 


THE  MIND  CURE 


more  light  it  will  receive  on  any  thought,  and  the 
clearer  will  all  thinking  become,  accordingly. 

14.  To  eliminate  adverse  conditions  of  the 
mind  the  first  essential  is  to  become  mentally 
quiet,  and  the  second  essential  is  to  provide  more 
life  and  energy  for  the  entire  nervous  system. 
To  make  the  mind  quiet  the  special  method 
given  for  nervousness  in  the  preceding  lesson 
should  be  employed;  and  to  provide  more  life 
and  energy  for  the  mind  and  nervous  system,  the 
various  energies  of  the  mind  should  be  re-directed 
so  that  they  may  proceed  along  new  lines. 
When  the  energies  of  the  mind  proceed  along 
new  lines  they  will  call  into  action  other  parts  of 
the  mind,  and  consequently  bring  forth  the  dor- 
mant mental  power.  The  full  power  of  the 
mind  will  thereby  be  restored  in  a  short  time,  and 
perfect  health  and  wholeness  of  mind  will  invar- 
iably follow. 


41 


The  Cure  of  Despondency 


HE  fields  and  the  gardens  in  the 
without  require  sunshine  before 
they  can  bring  forth  their  richness 
and  beauty,  and  it  is  the  same 
with  the  gardens  of  the  wonderful 
within.  Recent  discoveries  in  psychology  have 
revealed  the  fact  that  no  mental  talent  or  faculty 
can  grow  to  any  satisfaction  unless  the  mind 
realizes  an  abundance  of  brightness  and  joy. 
There  must  be  sunshine  in  the  mind  if  the  mind 
is  to  develop,  and  so  long  as  this  mental  sunshine 
is  continuous,  development  will  be  continuous 
provided  the  mental  soil  is  made  rich  through 
rich  thought,  and  well  cultivated  by  being  and 
doing.  Rich  thought,  however,  is  not  out  of 
the  reach  of  the  average  mind,  neither  is  the 
effort  to  be  and  to  do  lacking  among  the  major- 
ity; but  the  art  of  living  continuously  in  a  world 
of  mental  sunshine — that  is  something  that  is 
lacking  almost  everywhere.  But  it  is  a  lack  that 
must  be  supplied  before  we  can  become  and 
achieve  as  we  should. 

To  be  happy  is  profitable.    This  is  one  of  the 
new  thoughts  of  the  new  age,  and  it  will  prove  a 

42 


THE  MIND  CURE 


great  thought  to  all  who  receive  it  in  the  right 
frame  of  mind.  To  cultivate  cheerfulness  is 
just  as  necessary  as  to  cultivate  ability  and  skill. 
So,  therefore,  the  prevention  or  cure  of  despond- 
ency is  just  as  important  as  the  prevention  or 
cure  of  any  physical  disease.  The  despondent 
mind  is  a  sick  mind,  and  a  sick  mind  is  more  of 
an  obstacle  to  human  welfare  than  a  sick  body. 
For  this  reason  no  one  can  afford  to  live  on  any 
other  side  than  the  sunny  side.  All  other  sides 
mean  sickness,  failure  and  premature  death. 

If  our  object  in  life  is  progress,  growth,  ad- 
vancement and  perpetual  increase  we  must  elim- 
inate despondency  in  all  its  phases,  and  per- 
manently establish  in  its  place  a  state  of  perpet- 
ual joy.  Happiness  is  the  normal  state  of  mind. 
When  your  mind  is  in  perfect  health  it  is  always 
happy.  In  fact,  a  healthy  mind  cannot  be  other- 
wise than  happy.  Therefore,  when  you  are  not 
happy  your  mind  is  sick  and  needs  attention. 
And  it  needs  attention,  first,  because  a  sick  mind 
may  produce  both  moral  and  physical  disease; 
and  second,  because  a  sick  mind  cannot  do  its 
work  properly.  Thousands  of  cases  of  intem- 
perance and  crime  can  be  traced  to  sick  or  disap- 
pointed minds.  And  tens  of  thousands  of  fail- 
ures had  their  beginnings  in  the  same  way.  To 
overcome  despondency,  therefore,  and  all  phases 
of  unhappiness  is  a  matter  of  the  greatest  impor- 
tance. 


THE  MIND  CURE 


When  we  study  the  subject  closely  we  find 
that  there  are  two  kinds  of  despondency,  each 
one  having  its  own  causes  and  requiring  its  own 
special  remedies.  The  first  of  these  will  require 
but  little  attention,  as  it  can  hardly  be  called  a 
mental  ailment,  being  rather  a  symptom  of  dis- 
ordered thoughts  and  wrong  view  points.  It 
usually  rises  from  unpleasant  experience  such  as 
disappointments  from  failure  or  defeat,  and  is 
therefore  easily  removed  by  training  the  mind 
to  count  everything  joy,  and  by  resolving  to  go 
in  to  win,  no  matter  what  present  conditions 
may  indicate. 

When  we  look  at  life  from  the  higher  view 
point,  from  the  view  point  of  the  real  greatness 
of  man,  we  will  lose  neither  hope  nor  courage 
though  we  fail  repeatedly.  From  this  view  point 
we  discover  that  every  failure  can  be  made  a 
stepping-stone  to  success,  and  we  proceed  to  use 
failure  in  that  way  whenever  it  appears.  If  we 
are  to  use  failure  in  this  way,  however,  we  must 
never  permit  ourselves  to  fall  into  despair,  but 
must  meet  every  occasion  in  the  attitude  of  com- 
plete self-mastery.  Every  failure  is  simply  val- 
uable energy  gone  astray,  and  if  we  approach 
this  misdirected  energy  in  the  right  attitude  we 
can  regain  its  possession  and  cause  it  to  work 
for  our  advantage. 

44 


THE  MIND  CURE 


Therefore,  those  forces  in  our  present  circum- 
stances that  may  seem  to  be  destructive  can  be 
changed  and  made  constructive.  The  reason 
why  is  simple.  If  we  can  change  the  direction 
of  our  forces  or  circumstances  by  wrong  action 
we  can  also  change  the  direction  of  those  forces 
through  right  action,  and  thus  cause  those  forces 
to  work  according  to  our  purpose  and  plan.  In 
consequence,  when  failure  comes  we  should  not 
give  up  in  despair,  but  should  cheerfully  and 
masterfully  gather  together  the  scattered  forces 
and  re-direct  them  toward  the  construction  of 
greater  success  than  we  ever  knew  before. 

The  man  who  knows  that  his  possibilities  are 
unlimited  will  never  give  up  to  defeat,  and  there- 
fore will  never  become  despondent.  He  knows 
that  he  will  win  sooner  or  later  if  he  continues 
as  he  has  begun.  And  he  also  knows  that  every 
great  difficulty  that  he  overcomes  invariably 
means  added  power  to  the  victor.  Such  a  mind 
can  never  be  disappointed  even  though  he  should 
lose  and  fail  in  many  places.  He  knows  that  he 
has  destiny  in  his  own  hands  and  must  inevitably 
attain  whatever  he  has  in  view. 

When  we  understand  metaphysical  laws  we 
know  that  we  cannot  afford  to  become  disap- 
pointed at  any  time,  no  matter  how  wrong  things 
may  seem  to  go,  for  the  fact  is  that  if  we  con- 
tinue to  be  cheerful,  hopeful  and  full  of  faith 

45 


THE  MIND  CURE 


we  are  in  that  attitude  through  which  we  can 
apply  our  powers  and  talents  successfully  in 
causing  all  things  to  go  right.  In  consequence, 
the  despondency  that  comes  from  failure  or 
defeat  can  easily  be  overcome  or  prevented  by 
looking  at  life  from  the  higher  point  of  view. 
When  we  know  our  own  possibilities  and  are 
constantly  learning  more  thoroughly  how  to  mas- 
ter and  control  our  fate  we  shall  never  mind  a 
few  reverses.  They  are  but  temporary,  and 
under  the  hand  of  the  mind  that  knows,  will 
soon  give  way  to  order,  advancement  and  greater 
achievement.  We  may  therefore  pass  this  form 
of  despondency  without  further  consideration, 
knowing  that  the  mind  who  understands  his 
powers  will  never  get  sad  or  depressed  from 
defeat  any  more. 


46 


THE  MIND  CURE 


HE  second  form  of  despondency  is 
actually  a  mental  disease,  and 
must  be  dealt  with  as  such.  It  is 
produced  in  various  ways  and  at 
times  comes  from  the  conditions 
mentioned  above.  As  a  rule,  however,  it  origin- 
ates in  other  ways.  People  have  chronic 
despondency  who  have  everything  that  heart  can 
wish  for,  and  who  never  knew  disappointment 
or  defeat.  Sometimes  this  form  of  despondency 
is  called  melancholy  and  is  the  principal  cause 
of  insanity.  Here  it  is  well  to  remember  that 
no  mind  can  ever  become  insane  that  is  always 
happy — a  great  truth  that  should  be  well  con- 
sidered and  thoroughly  applied  under  every  cir- 
cumstance. 

The  chief  causes  of  chronic  despondency  are 
as  follows:  First,  exhaustion  of  nerve  force  or 
mental  vitality;  second,  the  misdirection  of  the 
emotions;  third,  disturbance  in  the  chief  nerve 
centers,  especially  the  solar  plexus;  and  fourth, 
disordered  physical  activities.  The  first  cause  is 
easily  prevented,  and  the  conditions  that  arise 
from  this  cause  can  be  removed  through  very 
simple  methods.  There  is  usually  sufficient 
vitality  generated  in  the  human  system  to  supply 
all  requirements,  and  unless  this  vitality  is  mis- 

47 


THE  MIND  CURE 


used  there  will  be  no  exhaustion  whatever  of 
mind  or  body.  But  discord,  worry,  anger,  fear 
and  similar  states  of  mind  tend  to  waste  vital 
energy  and,  consequently,  may  bring  about 
exhaustion.  Regular  work,  however,  will  never 
produce  this  condition,  as  it  has  been  conclusive- 
ly demonstrated  that  work  alone  never  does 
exhaust  the  vital  forces  of  the  human  system. 

Despondency  from  exhausted  vitality  comes 
suddenly  as  a  rule,  and  even  when  everything  in 
your  life  seems  conducive  to  harmony  and  joy. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  experience  is  mys- 
terious. You  can  find  no  definite  cause.  Every- 
thing seems  all  right  in  your  world,  but  you  feel 
all  wrong,  and  the  conditions  may  last  for  hours. 
The  temptation  to  seek  remedies  among  stimu- 
lants is  very  itrong  at  such  times,  and  it  is  a  well- 
known  fact  that  nervous  exhaustion  has  been  the 
original  cause  of  many  a  life  gone  wrong  through 
the  liquor  habit.  Instead  of  seeking  artificial 
remedies,  however,  we  should  look  for  the  cause 
and  try  to  remove  it  directly. 

When  you  feel  fagged  out,  so  to  speak,  in 
mind  or  body,  you  may  know  that  the  cause  is 
low  vitality.  The  first  step  to  take  when  you 
make  this  discovery  is  to  practice  deep,  full 
breathing,  as  there  is  nothing  that  will  increase 
the  vital  forces  so  readily  as  right  breathing. 
And  by  right  breathing  we  mean  breathing  that 

48 


THE  MIND  CURE 


is  deep,  full  and  gentle,  the  entire  chest  being 
employed  in  the  exercise.  The  average  person, 
however,  employs  only  the  upper  half  of  the  lungs 
while  breathing,  thereby  making  himself  liable  to 
ailments  in  that  part  of  his  body,  as  well  as  tend- 
ing to  reduce  the  regular  supply  of  vital  energy. 
The  simple  science  of  right  breathing  is  to 
breathe  with  the  entire  chest  and  to  make  all 
breathing  orderly.  When  you  feel  the  vital 
energies  of  the  system  running  low  breathe  more, 
and  if  you  have  the  opportunity  to  be  perfectly 
quiet  for  a  few  minutes,  trying  at  the  time  to 
realize  that  you  are  the  vital  center  about  which 
all  the  forces  in  your  world  tend  to  accumulate. 
And  this  is  true.  You  are  a  vital  center  of  all 
the  elements  and  forces  in  your  world,  and  when 
you  concentrate  your  attention  upon  yourself  as  a 
vital  center  of  life,  you  begin  to  accumulate  more 
life  until  you  are  actually  filled  with  more  energy 
than  you  ever  felt  before.  To  hold  yourself  in 
this  attitude  for  a  few  moments  is  to  re-charge 
your  system,  and  instead  of  feeling  depressed 
you  will  soon  begin  to  feel  happier  and  better 
than  you  have  felt  for  a  long  time. 

When  concentrating  upon  yourself  as  a  living 
center,  hold  yourself  in  perfect  poise,  realizing 
that  you  live  and  move  and  have  your  being  in 
an  infinite  sea  of  life;  then  gently  desire  to 
accumulate  all  the  energy  you  can  appropriate 

49 


THE  MIND  CURE 


and  remain  silent  for  a  few  minutes  in  that  atti- 
tude. The  results  will  be  far  beyond  your 
expectations. 

A  number  of  despondent  states  are  produced 
by  misdirected  emotions,  and  the  chief  cause  of 
misdirected  emotions  is  found  in  the  practice  of 
entertaining  desires  that  cannot  be  realized  at  the 
present  moment.  When  energies  accumulate  in 
certain  parts  of  the  human  system,  where  they 
cannot  be  employed  at  the  time,  the  effect  is 
always  disturbing  and  depressing  upon  the  nerv- 
ous system,  which  in  turn  produces  mental  de- 
spondency; in  other  words,  whenever  unused 
forces  accumulate  anywhere  they  tend  to  aggra- 
vate the  nerves  in  that  region  of  mind  or  body, 
and  this  disturbance  perverts  the  feelings  and  the 
emotions.  So  long  as  there  is  a  strong  tendency 
to  express  energy  of  any  kind  in  any  direction,  a 
great  deal  of  energy  will  move  in  that  direction, 
and  if  it  is  denied  expression  it  will  accumulate, 
and  this  accumulation  will  produce  abnormal 
conditions  in  that  part  of  mind  or  body,  the 
reaction  of  which  always  produces  a  disagreeable 
feeling  in  mind.  To  prevent  this  we  must  learn 
to  entertain  only  such  desires  as  can  be  realized 
at  the  present  time,  and  also  learn  how  to  trans- 
mute our  energies  so  that  all  that  energy  that 
cannot  be  employed  in  certain  functions  at  the 
time  may  be  drawn  into  other  functions  where 

50 


THE  MIND  CURE 


more  energy  can  be  used  to  advantage.  We 
should  never  permit  the  existence  of  a  desire  that 
cannot  be  realized  at  the  time.  When  such 
desires  arise  we  should  turn  our  attention  at  once 
to  something  else.  This  turning  of  attention 
will  tend  to  draw  the  energy  connected  with  that 
desire  toward  other  parts  of  the  system  where 
practical  use  can  be  realized. 

In  this  connection  a  few  illustrations  will  be 
found  valuable.  If  you  cannot  honestly  satisfy 
your  desire  for  elegant  clothes,  change  that 
desire  and  desire  a  beautiful  soul  instead.  If 
you  cannot  afford  to  satisfy  your  desire  for  rich 
food,  train  yourself  to  desire  rich  thoughts  in- 
stead. If  you  cannot  at  present  satisfy  your 
desire  for  physical  progeny,  turn  your  attention 
upon  the  mind  and  create  great  talent  instead. 
Any  number  of  similar  illustrations  can  be  given 
to  bring  out  the  idea  intended,  and  all  who  will 
apply  this  idea  will  find  it  an  easy  matter  to  pre- 
vent all  this  physical  and  mental  disturbance  that 
may  arise  in  the  system  when  our  energies  are  not 
permitted  to  express  themselves  along  the  original 
channels. 

In  gaining  more  perfect  control  over  the  ener- 
gies of  our  system  so  that  we  can  apply  them 
whenever  we  may  like,  we  should  proceed  in  the 
realization  of  the  fact  that  all  energy,  whether 
physical  or  mental,  can  be  drawn  into  any  organ, 

51 


THE  MIND  CURE 


any  function,  or  any  faculty  where  we  may 
need  extra  energy  at  the  time;  and  as  that  real- 
ization becomes  strong  and  vivid  we  shall  find 
that  a  mere  desire  to  cause  our  energy  to  accumu- 
late in  any  particular  part  of  mind  or  body 
where  present  action  is  taking  place  will  cause 
all  the  surplus  energy  of  the  system  to  flow 
directly  toward  that  place  without  delay. 


THE  MIND  CURE 


NOTHER  cause  of  misdirected 
emotion  is  found  in  uncontrolled 
feelings.  When  we  permit  our 
feelings  of  joy  to  become  what 
may  be  called  hysterical  ecstacy 
or  permit  our  enthusiasm  to  take  us  off  from  our 
feet,  we  are  preparing  the  way  for  a  great  fall 
of  the  mind.  Despondency  will  follow.  Every 
feeling  and  every  joy  must  be  held  in  poise,  and 
enthusiasm  has  its  greatest  power  when  perfectly 
controlled.  That  form  of  enthusiasm  that  runs 
away  from  people  invariably  produces  abnormal 
states  of  mind,  and  this  is  one  thing  we  must  do 
our  best  to  avoid.  Whenever  a  certain  emo- 
tional state  through  lack  of  control  goes  so  far 
in  a  certain  direction  that  it  usurps  the  whole 
attention  of  mind,  more  energy  will  accumulate 
in  that  place  than  can  be  used.  This  accumula- 
tion will  depress  the  mind  because  it  becomes  a 
burden,  while  those  other  parts  of  mentality  that 
have  been  depleted  will  experience  a  feeling  of 
emptiness;  and  here  you  find  the  reason  why 
you  feel  as  if  you  had  neither  force,  ability,  nor 
ambition  whenever  you  feel  depressed. 

When  we  are  never  overjoyed    nor    over- 
enthused,  when  we  never  permit  the  existence  of 

53 


THE  MIND  CURE 


desires  that  can  never  be  satisfied,  and  when  we 
never  permit  any  feeling  to  go  beyond  our  control, 
we  shall  prevent  entirely  all  depression  that  may 
arise  from  the  misuse  of  emotions.  But  should 
despondency  come  from  any  source  whatever  we 
can  remedy  the  matter  in  a  few  minutes  by  con- 
centrating attention  upon  the  brain  center  as  out- 
lined in  the  remedy  for  nervousness  in  a  previous 
lesson,  proceeding  at  the  time  to  practice  deep 
and  full  breathing.  Through  these  methods  we 
shall  restore  the  equilibrium  in  the  nervous  sys- 
tem and  at  the  same  time  increase  the  vital 
energy  all  through  the  system. 

When  we  come  to  consider  those  forms  of 
despondency  that  arise  from  a  disturbed  solar 
plexus  we  are  face  to  face  with  a  problem  that 
sometimes  appears  to  be  mysterious,  the  reason 
being  that  the  solar  plexus  is  considered  by  many 
to  be  the  connecting  link  between  the  physical 
and  the  metaphysical  sides  of  the  human  system. 
Those  who  accept  this  idea  naturally  believe  that 
a  great  deal  of  extra  energy  would  be  liberated 
if  the  solar  plexus  were  made  more  active,  but 
this  is  not  true.  The  fact  is  that  the  less  con- 
scious attention  we  give  to  the  solar  plexus  the 
better.  Disturbances  that  arise  in  the  solar 
plexus  invariably  come  from  imperfect  digestion, 
and  when  the  solar  plexus  is  disturbed  it  tends 
invariably  to  disturb  all  our  feelings,  both  phys- 

54 


THE  MIND  CURE 


ical  and  mental.  We  find,  therefore,  that 
despondency  coming  in  this  way  has  its  original 
cause  in  an  imperfect  digestion. 

For  this  reason  we  shall  find  that  some  of  the 
most  severe  cases  of  despondency  are  not  pre- 
monitions of  terrible  disasters  near  at  hand,  as 
many  people  sometimes  think;  but  have  no  other 
source  than  the  stomach.  In  fact,  it  can  be 
safely  stated  that  more  than  three-fourths  of  the 
cases  of  despondency  have  their  origin  in  a  poor 
digestion.  A  good  digestion,  therefore,  espe- 
cially if  reinforced  with  a  well-poised  harmoni- 
ous nervous  system,  will  prevent  the  larger  part 
of  the  despondency  that  may  come  to  the  aver- 
age individual.  And  knowing  this,  we  realize 
the  folly  of  taking  despondency  with  so  much 
seriousness.  If  we  would  make  it  a  practice 
instead  to  look  upon  those  conditions  as  of  no 
particular  moment,  and  then  proceed  to  place 
our  digestion  in  order,  we  should  go  very  far 
toward  restoring  mental  health  and  wholeness 
for  all  time. 

Those  cases  of  despondency  that  come  from 
physical  disturbance  are  found  only  among  peo- 
ple who  have  strong  psychical  tendencies,  but 
who  do  not  know  how  to  use  those  new  forces 
that  have  arisen  in  their  deeper  mental  life.  < 
Whenever  a  new  power  is  awakened  the  knowl- 
edge of  how  to  use  it  should  be  at  hand,  and 

55 


THE  MIND  CURE 


there  will  be  no  serious  mistakes  in  this  applica- 
tion. This  being  true,  no  one  should  attempt 
to  use  a  new  power,  whatever  it  may  be,  until 
well  informed  as  to  its  nature  and  right  use. 

That  form  of  despondency,  however,  that 
comes  through  psychical  disturbance  is  usually  of 
a  serious  nature,  and  everything  possible  should 
be  done  to  prevent  it  completely.  To  prevent 
this  condition  there  is  but  one  safe  course  to  fol- 
low, and  that  is  to  have  nothing  whatever  to  do 
with  psychical  phenomena  or  psychical  experience 
until  you  understand  fully  the  psychological  and 
metaphysical  laws  that  underlie  the  phenomena, 
or  until  you  have  attained  perfect  mastery  over 
yourself.  To  a  great  many  minds,  however, 
these  requirements  may  seem  too  stringent.  In 
fact,  if  one  should  comply  with  these  require- 
ments it  would  be  impossible  for  anyone  to 
engage  in  psychical  research;  and  though  this  is 
practically  true,  it  is  also  true  that  most  of  us 
will  find  it  greatly  to  our  advantage  to  give  no 
attention  to  psychical  research  whatever. 

The  subject  of  despondency,  however,  is  one 
that  should  receive  our  best  attention,  and  every 
method  that  we  can  find,  in  addition  to  those 
presented  above,  should  be  employed  if  such 
methods  will  remove  the  tendency  of  the  mind 
to  become  depressed.  We  know  that  the  grow- 
ing mind  as  well  as  the  healthy  mind  needs  con- 


THE  MIND  CURE 


tinuous  sunshine,  and  knowing  this  we  shall  cer- 
tainly do  our  best  to  provide  this  sunshine  under 
every  circumstance.  Our  object  is  not  only 
health,  but  the  power  to  do  greater  things  in  the 
world.  And  as  the  realization  of  both  of  these 
objects  demands  a  growing  mind,  we  shall  find 
it  most  profitable  to  provide  that  mental  sun- 
shine that  can  cause  mental  growth  to  be  con- 
tinuous. 


57 


The  Prevention  of  Mental 
Depression 

N  addition  to  what  has  been  said 
on  this  subject  in  preceding  pages, 
we  find  two  special  causes  that 
frequently  result  in  chronic  mental 
depression.  The  first  cause  is 
found  in  the  presence  of  certain  adverse  mental 
states  that  have  become  so  deep-seated  that  they 
affect  the  subconscious  life,  and  the  second  cause 
is  found  in  the  presence  of  awakened  subcon- 
scious forces  that  cannot  find  a  full  and  natural 
expression. 

There  is  many  a  person  who  is  suffering  from 
mental  depression  simply  because  the  genius 
within  him  is  trying  to  force  itself  out  in  tangible 
action,  but  cannot  produce  such  action  on  ac- 
count of  the  inharmony  existing  between  the 
objective  and  the  subjective  states  of  mind. 
When  there  is  a  great  deal  of  power  within  that 
wants  to  act,  but  cannot  find  an  opportunity  to 
act,  an  unnatural  pressure  will  be  produced  in 
various  parts  of  the  mentality,  and  mental 
depression  will  usually  result.  This  depression, 
involving  more  or  less  gloom,  disappointment  and 
even  despair,  may  continue  for  years,  and  this 

58 


THE  MIND  CURE 


accounts  for  the  fact  that  there  is  many  a  genius, 
or  possible  genius,  who  is  unhappy  almost  con- 
stantly. The  outer  mind  of  the  average  person 
has  not  been  trained  to  respond  to  the  power 
and  the  genius  of  the  subconscious.  Therefore, 
the  genius  within  is  held  in  prison,  so  to  speak. 
It  is  not  permitted  to  come  out  and  act.  It  is 
confined  behind  the  bars  of  objective  limitations 
and  refuses  to  reconcile  itself  to  such  a  fate. 

In  some  minds  the  power  within,  not  being 
very  active,  is  seldom  felt,  while  in  others  the 
powers  of  the  great  within  are  constantly  clamor- 
ing for  freedom  and  expression.  It  is  this  that 
produces  unrest,  dissatisfaction,  mental  depres- 
sion and  that  seemingly  hopeless  longing  for  the 
ideal  that  sensitive  minds  find  so  difficult  to  bear. 
When  the  objective  mind  is  placed  in  such  a 
complete  harmony  with  the  subconscious  that  the 
power  of  the  within  can  come  forth  and  do  what 
it  wants  to  do,  we  have  the  peace  that  passes 
understanding,  the  harmony  that  touches  the 
very  ecstacy  of  the  soul,  and  the  joy  that  can- 
not be  measured.  At  such  moments  the  indi- 
vidual is  in  the  now,  all  that  he  can  be  in  the 
now,  and  his  life  is  complete.  But  such  moments 
come  rarely  to  the  average  person,  the  reason 
being  that  his  outer  mind  is  not  in  a  condition 
to  give  expression  to  the  life  and  the  power  that 
is  being  awakened  in  the  great  within. 

59 


THE  MIND  CURE 


The  average  person  is  not  trained  to  give 
expression  to  the  genius  from  within.  It  is  sim- 
ply trained  to  remember  what  others  have  said 
and  to  imitate  what  others  have  done.  In  the 
meantime  the  genius  within  is  held  in  prison,  and 
in  trying  to  gain  freedom  produces  much  confu- 
sion, much  depression,  many  mistakes  and  many 
moments  of  mental  despair.  A  great  deal  of 
the  unhappiness  that  comes  to  most  ambitious 
people  originates  in  these  very  conditions.  The 
mental  household  is  divided  against  itself.  The 
inner  mind  wants  to  produce  the  greatness  and 
the  joy  of  the  full  individual  life,  while  the 
outer  mind  wants  to  live  a  superficial  life  and  do 
only  what  the  senses  in  their  limitations  may 
desire  to  do.  The  objective  mind,  however, 
was  not  created  to  act  at  variance  with  the  sub- 
conscious. It  is  generations  of  unscientific  train- 
ing that  has  given  the  outer  mind  this  tendency, 
but  there  can  be  neither  real  peace  nor  real 
greatness  in  the  mind  of  man  until  this  tendency 
is  removed. 

The  two  minds  must  work  together  in  har- 
mony and  for  the  same  purpose.  The  objective 
mind  should  daily  impress  the  subconscious  with 
its  highest  thoughts,  aims,  desires,  and  should 
respond  perfectly  when  the  subconscious  brings 
forth  the  power  with  which  those  aims  and 
desires  may  be  fulfilled.  The  objective  mind 

60 


THE  MIND  CURE 


should  constantly  expect  more  and  more  power 
from  the  subconscious,  and  should  constantly 
hold  itself  in  that  calm,  well-poised  receptive 
attitude  which  is  so  necessary  to  the  full  expres- 
sion of  the  greater  power  from  within.  To  culti- 
vate this  attitude  is  to  place  the  two  minds  in 
harmony,  and  as  the  objective  mind  is  daily 
directing  the  subconscious  to  produce  more  life, 
greater  intelligence  and  greater  power,  this  har- 
mony will  enable  the  subconscious  to  come  forth 
and  do  what  it  has  been  directed  to  do. 

The  majority  of  those  who  suffer  from  mental 
depression,  discontent,  chronic  despondency,  or 
an  inclination  to  live  on  the  dark  side  of  life  will 
find  complete  emancipation  from  those  conditions 
when  the  greater  power  within  them  has  been 
given  full  freedom  to  act.  To  place  the  con- 
scious and  the  subconscious  in  harmony  is  to 
give  the  entire  power  within  an  opportunity  to 
express  itself,  and  relief  will  come  at  once.  In 
addition,  the  entire  personality  will  be  re-charged 
with  new  life,  the  body  will  become  more  vigor- 
ous, and  the  mind  more  brilliant. 

When  chronic  mental  depression  comes  from 
adverse  mental  states,  the  remedy  is  to  train 
the  objective  mind  in  exact  scientific  thinking. 
That  is,  the  mind  should  live  on  the  sunny  side, 
the  constructive  side,  the  growing  side,  and 
every  thought  should  be  formed  in  the  exact 

61 


THE  MIND  CURE 


likeness  of  the  highest  ideals  that  can  be  created. 
When  we  concentrate  our  attention  upon  our 
ideals,  and  deeply  feel  at  all  times  that  we  are 
moving  toward  those  ideals,  we  will  proceed  to 
rise  out  of  depression,  darkness  and  discontent 
into  the  world  of  light,  freedom,  peace  and  joy. 
There  is  an  upper  region  in  the  mind  of  man 
where  happiness  is  perpetual.  To  enter  this 
upper  region  the  first  essential  is  to  place  the  two 
minds  in  harmony,  and  the  second  essential  is  to 
keep  the  eye  single  upon  the  heights  of  all  that 
is  true,  all  that  is  perfect,  all  that  is  lofty,  all 
that  is  beautiful,  and  all  that  is  sublime. 


62 


Hou)  to  Remove  Fear 

O  long  as  there  is  a  tendency  to 
fear  it  is  not  possible  for  any  mind 
to  do  its  best,  and  as  it  is  abso- 
lutely necessary  for  every  mind  to 
do  its  best  in  order  to  live  the  life 
of  peace,  health,  freedom,  and  attainment,  we 
must  proceed  to  remove  fear  completely. 

The  real  origin  of  all  human  ills  can  be  traced 
to  retarded  growth,  and  we  know  that  growth  is 
retarded  whenever  we  fail  to  do  our  best. 
Everything,  therefore,  that  interferes  with  the 
being  of  our  best  must  be  removed;  and  there 
are  many  things  that  interfere  in  this  manner, 
but  the  attitude  of  fear  is  one  of  the  most  pro- 
nounced. It  is  possible  to  demonstrate  that  fear 
has  prevented  more  natural-born  great  minds 
from  applying  their  greatness  than  all  other  ad- 
verse states  of  mind  combined;  and  it  is  also 
possible  to  demonstrate  that  fear  has  produced 
more  disease,  trouble  and  misfortune  than  any 
other  cause.  To  remove  fear,  therefore,  would 
be  doing  something  that  would  be  extraordinary, 
to  say  the  least. 

There  are  many  methods  that  will  remove 
fear  temporarily,  but  to  remove  it  permanently 

63 


THE  MIND  CURE 


we  must  find  its  fundamental  cause.  This  cause 
has  been  sought  far  and  wide,  and  has  been 
found  in  what  may  be  termed  the  outer  time  of 
the  present  moment.  Reduced  to  its  last  analy- 
sis, fear  is  simply  a  state  of  mind  arising  from 
the  seeming  uncertainty  of  the  immediate  future. 
If  we  knew  that  everything  in  the  coming  days 
would  be  exactly  as  we  wished  it  to  be  there 
would  be  no  occasion  for  fear  at  any  time;  but 
it  is  in  this  uncertainty  with  which  we  come  in 
mental  contact  nearly  every  day  that  gives  origin 
to  every  form  of  fear.  To  remove  fear,  there- 
fore, this  state  of  uncertainty  must  be  overcome; 
and  it  is  good  news  to  know  that  this  is  possible. 

This  feeling  of  uncertainty  gives  origin  to  a 
number  of  forms  of  fear,  and  one  of  the  most 
pronounced  is  possibly  the  fear  of  death.  We 
fear  death  because  we  feel  an  uncertainty  with 
regard  to  the  life  beyond;  but  if  we  positively 
knew  that  death  was  simply  the  open  door  to  a 
larger  and  more  wonderful  world  than  this,  the 
thought  of  death  could  never  produce  fear  in  the 
least. 

Another  phase  is  that  of  calamity.  We  live 
more  or  less  in  the  dread  of  calamities,  because 
we  do  not  know  whether  we  shall  escape  safely 
or  not,  nor  do  we  always  know  what  precaution 
to  take  that  absolute  safety  may  be  secured. 
We  fear  poverty  because  things  in  this  world 

64 


THE  MIND  CURE 


seem  so  uncertain.  Our  friends  everywhere 
meet  unexpected  misfortune,  and  we  imagine 
that  the  same  fate  is  quite  likely  to  come  to  us. 
If  we  could  master  our  circumstances  we  should 
think  differently  about  this  particular  phase;  but 
the  art  of  mastering  circumstances  is  not  clearly 
understood,  consequently  the  majority  continue 
to  fear  the  possible  misfortune  of  the  future. 
We  fear  disease  because  we  are  almost  daily 
brought  face  to  face  with  threatening  symptoms, 
and  we  see  people  all  about  us  going  down  to 
the  grave  through  the  continued  actions  of  what 
at  first  seemed  to  be  but  insignificant  symptoms. 
There  are  scores  of  other  conditions  and  things 
that  we  fear  more  or  less,  and  for  the  same  rea- 
son; that  is,  we  are  uncertain  as  to  the  outcome. 
The  outcome  may  be  good  or  ill;  we  do  not 
know,  and  we  fear  that  it  may  be  the  latter, 
because  we  have  not  acquired  the  power  to  pro- 
duce the  former  at  will.  It  is  therefore  evident 
that  all  fear  comes  directly  from  uncertainty  as 
to  the  immediate  future,  as  to  the  results  of  what 
we  are  doing  now.  What  is  brewing  in  the 
present  has  frequently  been  brewing  in  the  past, 
and  in  the  past  such  indications  have  many  times 
turned  out  badly;  and  the  question  is.  Can  we 
make  everything  come  right  this  time?  Most  of 
us  do  not  know,  and  that  is  the  reason  why  the 

65 


THE  MIND  CURE 


majority  are  almost  in  constant  fear  concerning 
the  events  of  the  near  future. 

That  fear  comes  from  uncertainty,  and  from 
no  other  cause,  is  easily  demonstrated;  but  the 
question  is  what  it  is  that  produces  this  uncer- 
tainty. When  we  analyze  that  phase  of  the  sub- 
ject we  find  that  the  cause  of  every  form  of 
uncertainty  is  produced  by  the  fact  that  similar 
things  under  similar  adverse  conditions  turned 
out  badly  before,  and  we  have  nothing  to  prove 
at  the  present  time  that  we  can  cause  all  things 
to  come  right  in  the  future;  that  is,  the  majority 
have  nothing  to  prove  that  the  future  can  be 
made  right,  regardless  of  conditions  in  the  pres- 
ent. Though  the  majority  may  not  have  this 
proof,  that  fact  does  not  indicate  that  the  proof 
cannot  be  found. 

To  remove  fear  it  is  therefore  necessary  to 
secure  positive  evidence  to  prove  the  idea  that  we 
can  cause  everything  to  come  right,  that  we  can 
make  the  future  better  than  the  present,  and  that 
we  can  cause  all  things  to  work  together  for  the 
promotion  of  our  highest  welfare.  The  major- 
ity, however,  may  believe  that  such  evidence 
cannot  be  secured,  because  they  judge  according 
to  appearances  and  think  of  human  nature  as 
weak  and  incompetent,  even  at  its  best. 

But  those  who  understand  the  great  law  of 
cause  and  effect,  and  understand  the  real  power 

66 


THE  MIND  CURE 


of  man,  know  that  appearances  do  not  reveal 
the  exact  truth  concerning  anything,  and  they 
also  know  that  man  has  it  in  his  power  to  change 
his  whole  life,  his  entire  nature  and  his  own  des- 
tiny. This  world  is  not  a  world  of  aimless 
chance;  neither  do  events  just  happen.  When 
we  look  at  the  confused  surface  and  see  how 
many  things  move  in  some  helter-skelter  fashion 
we  may  think  that  it  is  entirely  useless  to  attempt 
any  orderly  re-adjustment ;  but  when  we  discover 
that  every  adverse  effect  comes  from  some  ad- 
verse cause,  and  that  man  himself  produces  those 
adverse  causes,  we  find  it  necessary  to  take 
another  point  of  view. 

The  confused  surface  of  the  world  is  pro- 
duced by  the  confused  and  misdirected  actions 
of  the  human  race,  just  as  an  upset  household  is 
produced  by  disorder  among  its  members.  The 
inside  of  every  house  is  the  exact  likeness  of  those 
who  have  charge  of  it.  An  orderly  person  will 
have  everything  in  harmony,  and  neatness  will 
prevail  even  though  the  house  itself  be  ordinary, 
and  everything  in  it  be  ordinary  and  inexpensive. 
But  the  newest  and  finest  house  £.nd  the  costliest 
furniture  can  give  the  appearance  of  utter 
depravity  if  placed  in  charge  of  a  disorderly 
mind. 

The  same  law  rules  everywhere  among  the 
smallest  things  and  the  largest  things  in  the 

67 


THE  MIND  CURE 


world.  The  world  itself  and  its  many  parts  are 
like  the  people  that  are  in  charge.  The  good 
things  in  the  world  come  from  good  causes;  the 
other  things  come  from  adverse  causes;  and  all 
causes  come  from  man.  Man,  however,  can 
produce  any  cause  he  likes;  therefore  the  future 
is  in  his  own  hands. 

To  change  the  condition  of  the  world  in  gen- 
eral, the  human  race  in  general  must  be  changed, 
and  this  is  possible.  For  a  long  period  of  time 
the  race  has  been  told  to  be  right  and  good,  but 
we  have  not  been  told  clearly  how  to  proceed. 
The  race  is  most  willing  to  change  for  the  bet- 
ter; in  fact,  the  great  majority  are  constantly 
praying  for  the  required  knowledge  and  truth  on 
the  great  subject  of  human  betterment.  All  that 
is  necessary,  therefore,  is  to  provide  this  greatly 
desired  information  which  is  already  at  hand, 
and  the  world  will  begin  to  change. 

The  world  in  general  is  the  direct  effect  of 
the  actions  of  all  its  people,  while  the  world  of 
the  individual  is  the  result  of  his  own  actions  plus 
those  actions  of  the  general  world  with  which  he 
may  come  in  contact.  But  he  can  change  his 
own  actions  and  also  adapt  himself  to  the  actions 
of  the  world  in  such  a  way  that  the  very  results 
he  desires  can  be  secured  in  each  instance.  In 
other  words,  each  individual  can  produce  in  his 
own  world  what  he  may  desire;  and  he  can  so 

68 


THE  MIND  CURE 


change  those  things  that  come  into  his  world 
from  the  world  in  general,  that  they  become 
identical  in  nature  and  action  with  what  he  him- 
self is  producing  for  himself. 

To  understand  the  real  nature  and  the  real 
power  of  man,  is  to  know  that  he  can  determine 
what  he  himself  is  to  produce,  and  that  he  can 
also  determine  what  the  world  in  general  is  to 
produce  in  his  individual  world.  He  is  therefore 
complete  master  of  the  situation,  and  this  being 
true,  the  entire  subject  is  reduced  to  that  of  pure 
mathematics.  When  we  are  working  out  a 
problem  in  mathematics  we  do  not  dread  the 
answer;  if  we  know  the  principles,  we  have  no 
fear  as  to  the  outcome.  If  we  are  good  mathe- 
maticians we  know  positively  that  the  answer 
will  be  correct,  and  there  can  be  no  fear  or  dread 
where  one  positively  knows.  The  good  mathe- 
matician, however,  is  not  free  from  fear  in  his 
calculations  because  he  is  superior  to  others;  he 
is  superior  only  in  this  respect — that  he  knows 
the  principles  involved.  He  lives  in  the  same 
mathematical  world  as  does  the  stumbling  stu- 
dent. The  two  are  not  different  in  kind.  The 
only  difference  is  that  the  one  understands  the 
principles  and  the  other  one  does  not.  The  good 
mathematician  gets  the  answer  he  wants;  he 
makes  the  future  of  the  problem  just  what  he 
wishes  it  to  be.  He  wants  the  outcome  to  be 

69 


THE  MIND  CURE 


right,  and  understanding  the  principles,  he  gets 
what  he  wants. 

His  simple  secret  is  this:  He  knows  what 
principles  to  apply  in  solving  the  problem,  and  he 
applies  those  principles  in  every  problem.  Ac- 
cordingly, he  gets  the  results  desired.  The  prob- 
lems we  meet  in  every-day  life  can  be  dealt  with 
in  the  same  manner.  They  all  have  a  mathe- 
matical basis,  and  if  we  apply  the  principles  of 
life  correctly  those  problems  can  be  worked  out 
so  as  to  produce  the  right  results  in  every  case. 


70 


THE  MIND  CURE 


HEN  we  know  that  the  future  is 
the  direct  outcome  of  the  present 
there  can  be  no  fear  concerning 
the  future  so  long  as  we  correctly 
apply  the  principles  of  life  to 
everything  that  we  may  be  doing  in  the  present. 
Then  we  should  remember,  in  addition,  that  the 
man  who  is  living  constructively  every  day  is 
building  for  himself  a  future  that  is  larger  and 
better  and  more  perfect  than  his  present.  He 
is  positively  convinced  that  the  outcome  of  his 
present  efforts  will  be  good,  and  will  produce 
the  greater,  because  he  knows  that  he  is  daily 
placing  in  action  causes  that  are  productive  of 
better  and  greater  things. 

That  such  a  man  can  have  fear  is  simply 
impossible.  There  is  no  uncertainty  in  his  mind, 
therefore  there  can  be  no  fear  in  his  mind.  He 
has  no  fear  of  poverty,  because  he  is  daily  im- 
proving himself,  daily  rendering  better  service  to 
the  world;  and  it  is  invariably  the  law  that  the 
better  our  service  the  better  our  recompense. 
There  may  be  occasional  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
but  these  exceptions  are  seeming,  and  are  due  to 
certain  violations  of  the  laws  of  life  that  we  do 
not  happen  to  see  at  the  time. 

71 


THE  MIND  CURE 


There  are  many  who  may  be  using  certain 
principles  correctly  and  misusing  other  principles. 
The  results  in  those  cases  will  therefore  be  uncer- 
tain, and  fear  may  arise ;  but  when  we  apply  all 
the  principles  there  can  be  no  uncertainty  and  no 
fear,  because  the  result  will  be  as  we  desire. 
That  man  who  has  ability,  and  who  properly 
relates  himself  to  the  needs  of  that  sphere  through 
which  his  ability  may  be  fully  expressed,  will  be 
in  constant  demand,  and  his  recompense  will 
steadily  increase.  When  great  minds  are  not 
appreciated  in  their  own  time,  they  themselves 
are  to  blame,  the  fault  being  that  they  do  not 
adapt  their  genius  to  the  needs  of  their  own  times. 
Anyone,  however,  no  matter  what  his  ability 
may  be,  can  adapt  himself  to  the  needs  of  his 
own  day,  and  thus  not  only  receive  full  appre- 
ciation from  his  own  generation,  but  fully  apply 
in  the  most  successful  manner  all  the  ability  he 
may  possess. 

Those  minds  that  are  doing  their  best  today 
have  no  occasion  to  fear  provided  the  law  is 
understood,  because  so  long  as  they  are  doing 
their  best  they  are  becoming  better,  and  will 
advance  steadily.  To  such  minds  the  future  is 
bright.  They  are  daily  creating  good  causes, 
and  the  future  will  be  more  and  more  abundantly 
supplied  with  good  effects.  This  is  the  law, 

72 


THE  MIND  CURE 


therefore  he  who  applies  this  law  has  nothing  to 
fear. 

To  this  statement  everyone  will  agree;  but 
with  the  average  mind  the  problem  is  how  to 
create  good  causes,  and  good  causes  only,  and 
how  to  know  whether  or  not  living  is  constructive. 
There  are  thousands  who  mean  well,  and  who 
are  actually  trying  to  create  only  the  best,  but 
they  are  living  almost  constantly  in  trouble  and 
misfortune.  The  cause  of  this  condition  is  found 
in  the  fact  that  they  have  not  been  taught  how 
to  apply  the  principles  involved  in  those  partic- 
ular problems  that  come  up  in  their  lives. 

To  proceed,  we  must  bring  our  life  out  of  this 
chaotic  condition  and  establish  absolute  order. 
Then  upon  this  orderly  foundation,  no  matter 
how  small  or  insignificant  it  may  be,  we  must 
begin  the  construction  of  a  new  mansion  of  life. 
Before  we  begin,  however,  the  plans  of  the  new 
structure  must  be  clearly  fixed  in  mind;  that  is, 
we  must  form  our  ideal.  The  first  essential  is 
to  live  in  the  peaceful,  serene,  well-poised  atti- 
tude of  mind,  because  the  forces  of  life  must  be 
brought  into  the  harmony  of  constructive  action. 
The  second  essential  is  to  take  life  into  our  own 
hands  by  constantly  holding  life  in  the  conscious- 
ness of  our  own  possession;  that  is,  we  should 
always  think  of  life  as  being  absolutely  in  our 
own  possession,  and  before  long  the  power  to 

73 


THE  MIND  CURE 


completely  govern  our  own  life  will  become  sec- 
ond nature.  The  third  essential  is  to  have  one 
predominant  purpose,  that  is,  to  make  yourself 
and  your  work  better  and  better  every  day,  to 
build  constantly  for  greater  things  both  in  your 
own  nature  and  in  your  own  environment. 

In  this  connection  we  must  learn  to  see  all 
things  in  our  imagination  as  being  made  more 
and  more  perfect,  because  to  keep  ':he  mental  eye 
single  upon  the  better  side,  the  strong  side  and 
the  superior  side  of  everything,  is  to  give  the 
creative  forces  of  mind  a  superior  model;  and 
these  forces  always  create  in  the  exact  likeness  of 
the  model.  When  we  think  constantly  of  the 
superior,  and  keep  the  mental  eye  single  upon 
the  superior,  we  therefore  create  the  superior  in 
our  own  natures. 

On  the  other  hand,  when  we  think  of  the  dark 
side,  the  weak  side,  the  troubled  side,  the  sick 
side,  and  the  failing  side,  we  tend  to  create  all 
those  conditions  in  our  nature  and  in  our  world; 
and  when  we  fear  we  always  think  of  those 
inferior  sides,  thereby  causing  that  which  we  fear 
to  come  upon  us. 

When  we  concentrate  our  whole  attention 
upon  the  construction  of  a  superior  life,  and  work 
with  a  constantly  increasing  knowledge  of  the 
art  of  using  all  our  faculties  constructively,  we 
shall  bring  the  whole  of  life  into  a  perfect  system 

74 


THE  MIND  CURE 


of  action,  wherein  all  things  will  co-operate  in 
producing  for  us  the  greater,  the  better  and  the 
superior.  When  all  our  energies  are  organized 
into  an  army  of  skilled  builders  there  is  only  one 
effect  possible,  and  that  is  the  perpetual  increase 
of  everything  that  is  desirable  in  human  life.  He 
who  employs  all  his  energies  in  this  manner  will 
therefore  have  nothing  to  fear,  as  in  his  life  the 
very  cause  of  fear  will  have  been  removed  com- 
pletely. It  is  therefore  evident  that  the  problem 
of  removing  fear  is  solved  through  the  art  of 
using  all  our  faculties  and  forces  in  such  a  man- 
ner as  to  build  more  nobly  in  the  present  than  we 
did  in  the  past,  and  this  we  may  accomplish  by 
learning  to  use  the  principles  of  life  with  mathe- 
matical precision.  There  are  many  things  that 
we  are  afraid  of,  but  the  principal  ones  are  un- 
doubtedly poverty,  disease,  calamity  and  death; 
and  when  we  learn  how  to  remove  the  fear  of 
these  four  we  shall  also  be  able  to  remove  the 
fear  of  all  minor  conditions  that  are  not  desired. 
To  remove  the  fear  of  death  it  is  only  neces- 
sary to  become  convinced  of  the  fact  that  life  is 
continuous,  and  that  the  future  life  of  each  indi- 
vidual is  the  natural  outcome  of  his  present  life. 
The  development  of  what  may  be  termed  the 
consciousness  of  soul,  or  the  realization  of  the 
I  Am  and  the  perfection  of  the  I  Am,  will  dem- 
onstrate conclusively  to  any  mind  that  the  life  of 

75 


THE  MIND  CURE 


every  individual  is  continuous  and  endless;  in 
fact,  to  become  conscious  of  the  I  Am  is  to  know 
that  the  I  Am  and  life  are  identical,  and  we 
know  that  life  is  indestructible.  Then  add  to 
this  the  great  fact  that  you,  the  real  you,  consti- 
tutes the  I  Am,  and  you  have  an  exact  basis 
upon  which  you  may  demonstrate  to  yourself 
through  pure  reason  that  you  shall  continue  per- 
petually to  live, 


76 


THE  MIND  CURE 


|  HE  understanding  of  the  laws  of 
cause  and  effect  will  demonstrate 
that  you  can  create  your  own 
future  and  your  own  destiny,  not 
only  in  the  present  sphere,  but  in 
future  spheres  of  existence,  and  that  you  can 
make  your  future  existence  as  beautiful,  as  mar- 
velous and  as  gorgeous  as  your  imagination  can 
possibly  picture.  The  law  is,  that  he  who  is 
living  nobly  in  the  present  is  creating  for  himself 
a  better  future,  both  in  this  life  and  in  the  life 
to  come;  therefore  he  who  applies  the  principles 
of  that  law,  which  simply  mean  the  principles  of 
right  living  and  right  thinking,  has  nothing  to 
fear,  neither  from  death  nor  from  the  future. 
In  fact,  death  to  him  will  simply  mean  the  gates 
ajar  to  a  far  richer,  far  better  and  far  more 
beautiful  world  than  this;  and  the  future  to  him 
will  mean  attainments,  achievements  and  enjoy- 
ments so  far  superior  to  what  anyone  has  realized 
in  this  world  that  words  cannot  possibly  describe 
them. 

In  this  connection  it  is  interesting  to  know  that 
they  who  have  no  fear  of  death  always  live  the 
longest  lives,  the  best  lives  and  the  happiest  lives 
upon  earth ;  and  it  is  also  a  well-known  fact  that 

77 


THE  MIND  CURE 


they  who  know  they  are  doing  their  best  in  the 
present  are  not  afraid  to  leave  this  planet  at  any 
time.  They  dread  no  change,  because  they 
know  that  every  change  must  be  a  change  for 
the  better.  These  people  have  inner  conviction 
based  upon  the  fact  that  they  are  applying  prin- 
ciple in  their  lives;  that  it  always  will  be  well 
with  those  who  do  well ;  and  we  know  that  such 
a  conviction  will  remove  fear  completely. 

When  we  learn  how  to  live  we  shall  lose  all 
fear  of  death,  because  when  we  begin  to  actually 
live  we  know  that  we  shall  live  a  very  long  life, 
a  very  interesting  life  and  a  very  beautiful  life; 
and  we  also  know  that  what  is  called  death  is 
but  an  open  door  to  a  still  more  beautiful  life — 
more  beautiful  because  a  beautiful  present  in- 
variably produces  a  more  beautiful  future. 
What  we  have  earned,  that  we  shall  receive  and 
enjoy.  This  is  the  law,  and  therefore  he  who  so 
lives  that  he  earns  much,  will  have  much  to 
receive  and  enjoy  in  days  to  come. 

When  symptoms  of  disease  appear,  we  know 
that  we  have  violated  some  natural  law;  but  if 
we  understand  life  we  also  know  that  the  pain 
is  a  good  friend  coming  to  inform  us  that  some- 
thing needs  re-adjustment;  and  if  we  proceed  to 
right  the  matter,  which  we  can  readily  do  when 
we  know  how  to  think  and  live,  there  will  be  no 
disease  whatever.  When  we  know  how  to 

78 


THE  MIND  CURE 


remove  all  threatening  symptoms  at  once  we  shall 
never  fear  disease;  and  when  we  know  how  to 
create  health  in  greater  and  greater  abundance, 
the  fear  of  disease  will  become  impossible.  So 
long  as  we  create  health  we  cannot  be  sick;  and 
every  person  who  is  living  a  constructive  life — 
who  is  applying  the  principles  of  life  to  his  own 
living,  as  the  mathematician  applies  principles  to 
his  problems — is  creating  health  in  greater  and 
greater  abundance. 

The  fear  of  poverty  will  disappear  when  we 
learn  that  ability  and  power  can  be  developed 
more  and  more  for  an  indefinite  period.  We 
know  that  competent  men  and  women  are  in 
great  demand  everywhere,  and  when  we  know 
that  we  can  become  competent — sufficiently  com- 
petent to  fill  the  best  places  in  the  world — we 
shall  live  in  the  assurance  of  perpetual  increase, 
and  all  fear  of  poverty  will  therefore  disappear. 
You  cannot  have  any  fear  of  poverty  or  loss 
when  you  know  that  your  earning  power  is 
increasing  every  day,  and  that  the  demand  for 
your  services  in  the  world  is  increasing  every  day. 

To  eliminate  the  fear  of  calamities,  accidents, 
catastrophes  and  the  like,  may  seem  impossible 
because  it  is  generally  believed  that  the  individual 
cannot  control  the  causes  through  which  those 
things  are  produced;  but  when  we  look  closely 
at  the  matter  we  find  that  we  meet  those  unpleas- 

79 


THE  MIND  CURE 


ant  events  because  we  fail  to  do  the  right  thing 
at  the  right  time.  When  we  live  according  to 
principles,  we  will  learn  more  and  more  to  do 
the  right  thing  at  the  right  time;  and  we  shall 
also  develop  those  finer  senses  as  we  grow  in 
mind  and  soul,  through  which  we  can  discern 
readily  the  course  to  purs**?  in  each  case,  and 
thus  avoid  what  might  not  prove  agreeable. 
Then  in  this  connection  we  should  also  remember 
that  though  we  may  not  be  able  to  control  all 
the  causes  of  calamities  in  the  world,  we  can  so 
well  control  ourselves  that  we  can  go  out  of  the 
way  of  the  actions  of  those  causes.  In  other 
words,  we  can  avoid  the  path  that  leads  to 
calamity,  and  take  those  paths  that  are  always 
safe. 

When  we  apply  the  law  of  life  in  such  a  man- 
ner that  we  constantly  create  the  better  and  the 
better,  we  shall  positively  meet  more  and  more 
of  the  better.  Accordingly,  there  will  be  noth- 
ing to  fear,  because  as  long  as  we  create  only 
the  best  we  shall  receive  only  the  best  in  return. 


80 


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